By Steven Allen Adams, The Intelligencer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April dropped a tenth of a percentage point, a vast improvement from last April’s pandemic unemployment numbers, but a sign some workers have yet to return to the workforce.
According to a monthly report released Tuesday by WorkForce West Virginia, the state’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.9% in March to 5.8% in April. That’s better than the national unemployment rate, which saw an increase from 6% in March to 6.1% in April.
“The number of unemployed state residents decreased by 1,500 to 45,800,” according to the report. “Total employment was up 1,700 over the month.”
That’s a significant drop from April 2020’s unemployment rate of 15.6% during the middle of Gov. Jim Justice’s stay-at-home order and closure of non-essential businesses last March, April and part of May at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The news pleased the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce…
To read more: https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2021/05/w-va-unemployment-dips-in-signal-of-economic-recovery/