Our worker conundrum

Marketwatch reported a stunning bit of news last week.  “West Virginia quietly passed the ignominious milestone of having less than half its adult civilian population in the workforce in November.”

Data from the U.S. Labor Department show that just 49.8 percent of West Virginians are on the job. That’s well below the national rate of 62.7 percent. For the first time since the government started keeping these statistics in 1976, a state has fallen below 50 percent.

Our state’s jobless rate is only 6.3 percent, but that’s misleading because, according to Marketwatch, West Virginia is “a state where many have given up trying to find a job.”

There are myriad reasons why our work participation rate is so low: older population, poor health, difficulty finding work close to home, low educational achievement, little inward migration to name a few.  Dr. John Deskins, director of WVU’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, says these are deeply troubling numbers.

“This is one of the most serious economic challenges we face,” Deskins told me last week on Metronews Talkline. If we don’t have enough healthy and properly educated and trained workers, then we’re unattractive from an economic development perspective.  That’s going to be a major impediment to long-run economic growth.”

Workers not only generate wealth for themselves and others, but they pay taxes to fund government services that people need and want.  Additionally, work has intrinsic benefits such as enhancing self-worth and expanding an individual’s life experiences. Productive workers who advance along the career ladder also serve as role models for the next generation.

So, how do we get more people working?  Deskins says there’s no easy solution. “It’s a challenge that cannot be overcome overnight.”

One part of the equation is putting greater emphasis on the value of education.  West Virginia is already trying to make strides here by ensuring public school students don’t fall behind at an early age and strengthening our community college system.

The Tomblin administration is also trying to curb the state’s substance abuse problem, which keeps people from becoming productive members of the workforce and inflicts social costs.  According to Trust for America’s Health, West Virginia had the highest drug overdose mortality rate in the United States in 2013 with 29 per 100,000 people.

And there are also pockets of economic malaise where there are simply no employment opportunities.  People who live there and have lost their jobs find it hard to sell their homes, move someplace else and start over.

It’s all quite daunting and frankly, a little depressing.  Our political leaders are fond of saying that West Virginia has some of the best workers in America, reinforcing the notion that we’re among the hardest working, dedicated people you’ll find.

Well, perhaps.  But what we really need is fewer platitudes and more of us actually on the job.





More Hoppy's Commentary

Commentary
Some notes on Easter and religion as we begin the holiday
March 29, 2024 - 12:48 am
Commentary
Third party and independent presidential candidates rarely get traction in West Virginia
March 28, 2024 - 12:10 am
Commentary
Let's talk about the officiating in the WVU-Iowa game
March 27, 2024 - 12:47 am
Commentary
WVU basketball looks to the future
March 26, 2024 - 12:15 am


Your Comments