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Economy: Lawmakers must do more to attract jobs

Last month, West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose — again — to 5.7 percent.

Wood County’s unemployment rate in December 2017 was 5.7 percent, Wetzel 8 percent, Tyler 7.4 percent, Doddridge 4 percent, Pleasants 7.2 percent, Ritchie 5.5 percent, Wirt 8.3 percent, Jackson 5.8 percent, Roane 8.8 percent and Calhoun 11.4 percent — the highest in the state.

Meanwhile, the national rate seems to be rather locked in, remaining at 4.1 percent. Among other things, that means the gap between the unemployment rate here in the Mountain State and that of the nation as a whole is widening once more. And bear in mind, the unemployment figure does not include those who have stopped looking or are unable to work.

But there is another interesting trend in the numbers. With the exception of Hancock County, at the very top of the state, the hardest hit counties are all in the southwestern parts of the state. Calhoun, Mingo, Clay, Roane, Wirt, Mason and McDowell counties all have unemployment at or higher than 8.1 percent. In fact, a look at the map graphic provided by WorkForce West Virginia in releasing December’s numbers shows the counties we call the southern coal fields are still lagging far behind parts of the state to the north and east of them, where economies have for the most part been diversified more successfully.

In our region, Doddridge is an outlier, but it takes only a quick drive out U.S. 50 to see why.

Lawmakers — at the state AND national level — faced with these numbers should be doing their best to make sure West Virginians are truly being served by tax and regulation reform, and attempts to recruit employers and investors. Business as usual is, still, not working.

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