West Virginia Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in West Virginia filed 2 WARN Act notices in October 2018, impacting roughly 81 workers — representing a pullback from September and up 800% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 40 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 72 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 9 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 72 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Mining & Energy reported 9 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kanawha | 1 | 72 |
| Webster | 1 | 9 |
Kanawha was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 89% of all affected workers with 72 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 1 | 72 |
| Cowen | 1 | 9 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 72 |
| Layoff | 1 | 9 |
The high proportion of closures (89% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in West Virginia's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kmart Store #04188 | Charleston | 72 | Closure | |
| Arch Coal Eastern Complex | Cowen | 9 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Kmart Store #04188 at its Charleston facility, reporting 72 affected workers. Arch Coal Eastern Complex followed with 9 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for West Virginia's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by West 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 West Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.