Charleston. W.Va. (AP) - The unemployment rate for West Virginia increased slightly in November even as national unemployment ticked down.
The state’s seasonally adjusted rate grew to 4.9% for the month, up one-tenth of a percentage point, as the number of unemployed state residents increased by 1,200 people, according to WorkForce West Virginia, a division of the state Commerce Department. The national unemployment rate dropped by one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.5% for November.
Mining and logging jobs in West Virginia declined by 800 in November. Since November 2018, the state’s nonfarm payroll employment has increased by 800, with growth in other sectors offsetting the loss of 1,100 mining and logging jobs for the year.
Education and health services grew by 1,600 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities by 1,600; and leisure and hospitality by 1,400 since the previous November.
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