John Dahlia, July 29, 2015

Here it comes again: West Virginia is at the top of one of the worst lists in existence – state unemployment and labor statistics. Last Tuesday, WorkForce West Virginia reported that the state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate rose by two-tenths of a percentage point in June to 7.4 percent. That number ranks dead last in the nation. Even more discouraging, for the last five months in a row the Mountain State’s unemployment number has been on the rise.

If you look deeper into the latest employment figures, West Virginia has seen the steepest employment declines in the most important sectors: Mineral extraction or mining, logging and the construction industry. The most recognizable of the three is, of course, coal mining. Since 2011, West Virginia has lost 6,700 mining jobs in coal. The devastation has been especially hard in regions where mining is concentrated, as an additional three to 11 jobs are lost for every job lost in mining itself. Those areas are mainly located in West Virginia’s coal fields in the south.

Taking a look at the full report, according to the WorkForce West Virginia, unemployment rates increased in 46 counties, decreased in seven counties, and was unchanged in two. Counties with an unemployment rate above 13 percent included McDowell (13.6) and Mingo (14.0). Counties with an unemployment rate below 5.0 percent included Jefferson (4.6) and Pendleton (4.3).

Closer to home, Preston County’s jobless number went from 5.7 percent last year to 6.9. Even the mighty economic engine that is Monongalia County was not immune to the job-loss carnage. Last year, Mon was at an almost acceptable 4.7 percent. But that number continued to rise throughout to year, reaching an unacceptable 5.9 percent.

It should be noted that the unemployment rate reflects the percentage of residents who are seeking employment. There are more frightening statistics that indicate many in the state have stopped looking for jobs altogether. In March, MarketWatch reported that less than half of West Virginia’s adult civilians have a job. Those numbers were taken from data compiled by the U.S. Labor Department showing the employment-to-population rate had fallen to 49.1 percent in January.

The question on everyone’s lips on the heels of this horrible revelation is why? Many blame President Obama and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Overregulation and an obvious disdain for the use of coal as a source of energy have certainly taken a giant toll over the last seven years. Congressman David B. McKinley (R-W.Va.) made it very clear President Obama’s, as McKinley put it, “war on coal” is the reason for the high unemployment numbers.

“Just look at the statistics,” McKinley said in a press release. “When President Obama was elected, West Virginia was tied for seventh in unemployment. But after seven years of relentless hostility towards coal and, more recently, natural gas, West Virginia is ranked dead last. That’s outrageous.”

No question, West Virginia faces a difficult path ahead. State leaders have said we are in what best can be described as an economy in transition. Where exactly it’s going is not altogether clear, which is a dangerous place to be. Now is the time for strong, honest leadership from every facet of government who are going to have to break from tradition and find a way to work together before our beloved West Virginia falls even further behind.

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