Last month, the Labor Department's Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey showed that there were 3.8 million job openings for the month of April. Groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have pointed to the number of job opening as proof of a skills gap, arguing that there are not enough skilled workers to fill…
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by Christopher Nyden, Research Associate Barring another last-minute agreement, the interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1. These loans are offered to students who depend on them to attend college. Doubling rates will significantly increase the debt burden for West Virginia college…
Today's blog post comes to you courtesy of my new health insurance provider, thanks to a letter I received in the mail yesterday. Ever since I took my first ‘real' job at the state Bureau for Public Health several years ago, my wife and I have had our health insurance through PEIA. Coming on as…
The Spring 2013 Fiscal Survey of the States has been released by the National Association of State Budget Officers. The report is chock full of budget information for all 50 states, including spending and revenue levels, forecasts, and a Medicaid outlook. The overall takeaway from the report is that most states are starting to be…
Small business is often considered the foundation of local economies, which means a recent report about the Affordable Care Act may be real good news for West Virginia. The report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that the number of self-employed people in West Virginia will rise by 13 percent, or 6,000 people, after…
This week marks the 50th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, which was signed into law by President Kennedy on June 10, 1963. The legislation required that employers give women and men equal pay for equal work. The Equal Pay Act was one of the first steps in the effort to eliminate the gender gap…
Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office released its latest budget update. According to the CBO, the federal budget deficit is falling, and falling fast. The federal deficit is estimated to be $642 billion this year, its smallest amount since 2008. That will be about 4.0% of GDP, compared to 10.1% in 2009. Projected deficits…
Over the last four decades, West Virginia's economy has shifted from producing less goods (e.g. steel, chemicals, etc.) to providing more services. While the rest of the country also underwent this economic shift - often referred to as deindustrialization - it was especially problematic in the Mountain State. While the state has made strides to…
Earlier this month, Kentucky announced it would be joining West Virginia and 19 other states in expanding Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. Kentucky, however, had stronger evidence to support its decision than West Virginia. While West Virginia estimated expansion would cost the state around $375 million over the first 10 years, Kentucky looked…