06/26/2026
Three West Virginia coal mines are hiring again, and the listings say plenty about what the coalfield still needs: experienced hands underground, longwall operators, electricians, engineers and survey crews.
At Core Natural Resources' Leer South Mine, near Philippi and Grafton, the clearest posted wage is for a longwall operator at $39.35 an hour. That works out to about $81,848 a year before overtime. The mine is also advertising a utility, experienced miner role, built around underground equipment, general labor support and safe production work. Job boards place that utility bracket around $34,000 to $55,000 a year.
Leer South isn't a small bet. It holds about 57 million tons of proven and probable reserves and runs one longwall in Barbour County. After its 2025 interruption, Core said the longwall was back in operation and entering 2026 at target rates.
Down in Raleigh County, Core is also hiring experienced underground miners for the Beckley Complex. The role is for equipment operators who can extract coal, handle changing mine conditions, assist with maintenance and do non-operator work when required. Glassdoor currently estimates pay at $57,000 to $106,000 a year. Beckley produced 1.2 million tons in 2025 and works the Pocahontas No. 3 seam with ten continuous miner units.
The third active hiring pocket is Blackhawk's Kanawha Eagle Complex around Comfort. Kanawha Eagle postings include underground surveyor, mine engineer, engineering manager, section electrician and shuttle car operator roles. The section electrician estimate runs about $23.50 to $32.25 an hour, while one engineering manager listing is estimated at $80,000 to $100,000 a year.
Kanawha Eagle sold 1.5 million tons in 2025, works room-and-pillar metallurgical coal, and still lists a 35-year reserve life. In West Virginia coal, the phones aren't ringing everywhere.
But in these corners, they are.
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