According to an annual survey compiled by manufacturing trade group Manufacturers’ News for 2014, overall employment in the sector fell 1% between July past and July 2012.

During the same period, employment in coal mining was 11,829, a 5% reduction year on year. However, as it noted, the industry remained the top industrial segment in West Virginia.

The state’s biggest hit was in primary metals, which lost 13.4% over the year. The survey’s authors cited the closure of the bankrupt RG Steel’s Wheeling Corrugating facility in the northern region of the state.

Other losses were seen in chemical manufacturing, furniture and fixtures, fabricated metals and stone, clay and glass, while employment numbers were up in transportation equipment manufacturing, electronics, rubber and plastic and petroleum products.

“The abundance of cheap natural gas combined with tougher EPA regulations continues to hurt the coal industry,”News president Tom Dubin said.

“However, business conditions have improved slightly over last year, and employment losses are not as severe, which may signal a turnaround for the state.”

According to the survey’s figures, West Virginia lost 830 jobs between July 2012 and July 2013. There are 80,845 workers in the state under the employ of 1866 manufacturers.