West Virginia Layoffs — December 2019
Employers in West Virginia posted 4 WARN Act notices in December 2019, affecting an estimated 238 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to November and up 2544% versus December 2018. The average filing covered 60 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 3 | 183 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 55 |
The Mining & Energy sector saw the heaviest impact with 183 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 55 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette | 1 | 155 |
| Kanawha | 1 | 55 |
| Logan | 1 | 20 |
| Webster | 1 | 8 |
Fayette bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 65% of all affected workers with 155 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Powellton | 1 | 155 |
| Belle | 1 | 55 |
| Yolyn | 1 | 20 |
| Cowen | 1 | 8 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 155 |
| Layoff | 3 | 83 |
The high proportion of closures (65% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in West Virginia's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray Maple Eagle Coal | Powellton | 155 | Closure | |
| The Chemours Company Chemours Solution | Belle | 55 | Layoff | |
| Blackhawk Mining | Yolyn | 20 | Layoff | |
| Arch Coal Eastern Complex | Cowen | 8 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Murray Maple Eagle Coal at its Powellton facility, reporting 155 affected workers. The Chemours Company Chemours Solution followed with 55 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest 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.