West Virginia Layoffs — August 2020
Employers in West Virginia posted 9 WARN Act notices in August 2020, affecting an estimated 2,555 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to July and up 223% versus August 2019. The average filing covered 284 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 6 | 2,437 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 95 |
| Transportation | 1 | 15 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 8 |
The Utilities sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,437 workers across 6 notices. On a related front, Arts & Entertainment reported 95 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 2 | 1,296 |
| Marion | 2 | 922 |
| Ohio | 2 | 219 |
| Kanawha | 2 | 110 |
| Raleigh | 1 | 8 |
Marshall absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 1,296 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron | 1 | 846 |
| Metz | 1 | 474 |
| Dallas | 1 | 450 |
| Mannington | 1 | 448 |
| Wheeling | 2 | 219 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 9 | 2,555 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray Energy Holdings Company Marshall County Coal | Cameron | 846 | Layoff | |
| Murray Energy Holdings Company Marion County Coal | Metz | 474 | Layoff | |
| Murray Energy Holdings Company Ohio County Coal | Dallas | 450 | Layoff | |
| Murray Energy Holdings Company Harrison County Coal | Mannington | 448 | Layoff | |
| Murray Energy Holdings Company Anchor Longwall & Rebuild | Wheeling | 138 | Layoff | |
| Live Nation | Charleston | 95 | Layoff | |
| Murray Energy Holdings Company Kanawha Transportation Center | Wheeling | 81 | Layoff | |
| Avis Budget Car Rental | Charleston | 15 | Layoff | |
| HMS Host | Beckley | 8 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Murray Energy Holdings Company Marshall County Coal at its Cameron facility, reporting 846 affected workers. Murray Energy Holdings Company Marion County Coal followed with 474 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 Utilities 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.