Virginia Layoffs — May 2017
Employers in Virginia reported 15 WARN Act notices in May 2017, displacing an estimated 1,744 workers — signaling an acceleration from April and up 377% versus May 2016. The average filing covered 116 workers, with 14 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 12 | 1,387 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 304 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 53 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,387 workers across 12 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 304 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | 7 | 893 |
| Hanover | 2 | 274 |
| James City | 1 | 183 |
| Salem | 1 | 140 |
| Botetourt | 2 | 125 |
Chesterfield felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 893 workers across 7 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 3 | 340 |
| Ashland | 2 | 274 |
| Williamsburg | 1 | 183 |
| N. Chesterfield | 1 | 168 |
| Midlothian | 1 | 164 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 14 | 1,691 |
| Layoff | 1 | 53 |
The high proportion of closures (97% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Virginia's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin's Store #6402 | Williamsburg | 183 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6440 | N. Chesterfield | 168 | Closure | |
| White Birch Paper | Ashland | 164 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6588 | Midlothian | 164 | Closure | |
| LSC Communications | Salem | 140 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6428 | Richmond | 127 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #5700 | Richmond | 121 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6490 | Chesterfield | 114 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6489 | Ashland | 110 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6491 | Chester | 107 | Closure | |
| Martin's Store #6406 | Richmond | 92 | Closure | |
| JCPenney | Roanoke | 72 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Herndon | 67 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Charlottesville | 62 | Closure | |
| BH Media Group | Roanoke | 53 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Martin's Store #6402 at its Williamsburg facility, reporting 183 affected workers. Martin's Store #6440 followed with 168 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Virginia. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.