[ economy ]
Human Capital
in West Virginia
JOHN DESKINS
Since the beginning of 2017, West Virginia has made some important progress on its path to achieving the economic prosperity
its citizens hope for. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages report, the state
has added approximately 12,000 jobs over this period and has made progress along several other dimensions such as GDP,
personal income and tax revenue.
Furthermore, unemployment in West Virginia is currently around 5 percent, which is low by any broad historic standard.
This indicates that the state does not have a problem with a large number of its people looking for work unsuccessfully. If
that’s true, what, then, is driving the state’s human capital shortage?
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE