West Virginia has America's worst unemployment, according to official state figures. As outlined by reporter Andrew Brown, the Mountain State's jobless rate was below the U.S. average until mid-2013, then it climbed. During the past six months, it soared like a rocket. This state now has 7.4 percent unemployment, compared to the nation's 5.3 percent.
Much of this headache is blamed on decline of the coal industry. Loss of high-paying miner jobs has a ripple effect, wiping out work in supportive and service fields.
In the past year, West Virginia lost 8,800 jobs, a drop of nearly 9 percent. Construction fell 4,300, mining-logging 2,900 and leisure-hospitality 2,200, while a few fields rose a bit. The nation's roads and bridges are notoriously neglected. Perhaps if Congress would solve its transportation funding issues and state's resumed repairing and upgrading roads, construction jobs would rise, at least a partial solution.
Unemployment figures are confusing, because employers constantly add or subtract workers, and different government agencies follow different counting methods. Further, the true number of jobless isn't counted - only those actively seeking work.
For example, the U.S. Census Bureau says West Virginia has about 1.15 million working-age adults between 18 and 65. Workforce West Virginia says the state has a total of 724,500 non-farm jobs. This means that 425,000 residents aren't on payrolls - a jobless rate of around 37 percent, not a mere 7.4 percent.
Regardless, it's a shame that this state's official unemployment has become America's worst.
What can be done? We assume that state and local development offices already are doing their utmost to attract new businesses and launch startups. We assume that this state's recruiter office in Japan already is striving its best to lure more Japanese factories to the mountains. Ditto for outreach efforts to other countries.
Historically, West Virginia has fond attachment to the famous Civilian Conservation Corps that put millions of jobless Americans into healthy outdoor forest and park jobs during the Great Depression. We wonder if a similar government plan could ease some of today's pain. It's worth studying.