From the Parkersburg News and Sentinel:
Gov. Jim Justice is justified in bragging about our state’s economy. “This is something all West Virginians should be proud of,” he said last week.
As the governor pointed out, 2019 was “our best year of job numbers in West Virginia in more than a decade.”
Go just slightly beyond a decade back, however, and the plain truth is evident: Our economy in terms of employment continues to lag behind most of the rest of the country.
Employment last year averaged about 759,000 people, WorkForce West Virginia reports. The year ended with a 5 percent unemployment rate, compared to the national 3.5 percent.
But average employment in 2008 was about 777,000 people, also according to WorkForce West Virginia. That is 18,000 more than the 2019 average. …
