West Virginia Layoffs — October 2019
Employers in West Virginia logged 3 WARN Act notices in October 2019, involving roughly 507 workers — climbing above September and up 526% versus October 2018. The average filing covered 169 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 350 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 157 |
The Mining & Energy sector dominated layoff filings with 350 workers across 2 notices. Meanwhile, Healthcare reported 157 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Logan | 1 | 342 |
| Mingo | 1 | 157 |
| Webster | 1 | 8 |
Logan felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 67% of all affected workers with 342 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yolyn | 1 | 342 |
| Williamson | 1 | 157 |
| Cowen | 1 | 8 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 350 |
| Closure | 1 | 157 |
Closures accounted for 31% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhawk Mining | Yolyn | 342 | Layoff | |
| Williamson Memorial Hospital | Williamson | 157 | Closure | |
| Arch Coal Eastern Complex | Cowen | 8 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Blackhawk Mining at its Yolyn facility, reporting 342 affected workers. Williamson Memorial Hospital followed with 157 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the West Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Mining & Energy 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.