Signs of Life as West Virginia Added 2,200 Jobs in October – West Virginia added 2,200 jobs in October, reversing three months of nearly zero net job growth. Total nonfarm employment in West Virginia now stands at 754,300, its highest level since February 2009. In October, 1,970 workers joined the labor force, keeping the unemployment rate at 8.2 percent. The state now has 6,000 fewer jobs than it did before the recession, which is the smallest gap in more than two and a half years. Read