Income and Work

As more West Virginians became vaccinated and a strong federal response boosted the economy, the Mountain State, along with the nation, has enjoyed a strong economic recovery from the pandemic. However, while the state's employment rates have recovered, West Virginia has continued to lose population, contributing to its labor force challenges. In recent months, the…

Charleston Gazette-Mail - A West Virginia House of Delegates bill making slight tweaks to the Senate’s signature unemployment bills will be up for passage Friday morning. Read the full article. If adopted, Senate Bill 2 would return to its original body for senators to either accept or reject the amendments adopted by House Finance Committee…

While life expectancy has steadily increased for Americans over the past century, these gains have slowed in recent decades — and even reversed course — in some populations due to the precipitous rise of opioid overdose deaths. This is of particular concern in West Virginia, the state hardest hit by the opioid epidemic and facing…

Mountain State Spotlight - Just south of Weirton, Shannon Baldauf spends her work days suited up in layers of fire-retardant clothing, climbing atop massive, blazing furnaces that purify tons of coal. Read the full article. “It’s a heat like you’ve never experienced,” she said. But come this summer, Baldauf and nearly 300 others who work…

Earlier this month, the West Virginia Senate passed two bills that would drastically change the state's unemployment insurance system and will now be considered in the House of Delegates. SB 2 would reduce the number of weeks a worker can collect unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to as few as 12 weeks. SB 3 would…

Charleston Gazette-Mail - The West Virginia Senate passed two bills significantly altering the state’s unemployment system in a contested vote on Tuesday. Republican lawmakers advanced Senate Bill 3, which would place new requirements on job-seekers, on a party-line vote. Senate Bill 2, which would cut the state’s paid unemployment benefits from 26 to 12 weeks,…

WVNSTV - West Virginia lawmakers are considering bills that could drastically change unemployment benefits in the state. Read the full article. Supporters of the idea, say they’re just trying to get more people back to work. A lot of the unemployment concerns stem from the impact of COVID-19. Some businesses were hit hard in the…

West Virginia MetroNews - The state Senate is on the verge of passing two bills that would make major changes to the unemployment safety net in West Virginia. Read the full article. Senate President Craig Blair feels so strongly about the bills that he came down from his usual spot presiding over the chamber today…

Charleston Gazette-Mail - The state Senate is poised to slash unemployment benefits and tighten the process for people to prove they’re seeking work at a time when West Virginia’s unemployment rate is at a record low. Senate Bill 2 would cut the state’s paid unemployment benefits from 26 to 12 weeks, based on the current…

Since the state legislative session began last month, much attention has been focused on the high number of job openings in West Virginia. Two bills that are rapidly moving through the Senate (SB 2 and SB 3) would drastically cut unemployment insurance benefits for displaced workers in the name of “getting people back to work,”…