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W.Va. Economy Not Out of Woods

State officials were understandably happy about a report the state’s unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in July, down three-tenths of a point from June. But one month’s good news does not a recovery make, especially in a state so far down in the economic dumps.

As economists point out, raw unemployment rate numbers can be misleading. They do not take into account people who have given up looking for work or who, perhaps through disability, cannot hold jobs.

That information is reflected better in labor force participation rate reports. In that light, the Mountain State remains in terrible shape, with the very lowest rate in the nation.

Even the raw unemployment rate can be misleading. West Virginia’s relatively good showing last month was carried by a few counties where joblessness is very low. In June, the last month for which county statistics were available, the rate in Jefferson County was 3.4 percent. Neighboring Berkeley County was at 3.8 percent. Monongalia County’s rate was 4.8 percent.

Outside those counties and a few others, many West Virginians cannot find employment. Five counties continue to suffer from double-digit jobless rates.

The message for state policymakers, then, is simple: July showed progress, but not enough to change what for months has been the only rational strategy, of cutting back on state spending while searching for as many ways as possible to improve West Virginia’s ability to attract and keep job creators.

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