W.Va. unemployment rate tops 10 percent in January, seasonal job losses factor in increase

W.Va. unemployment rate tops 10 percent in January

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s unemployment rate topped 10 percent in January as the number of jobless residents increased by 15,300.

Workforce West Virginia said Monday that January’s 10.5 percent rate was nearly 2 percentage points higher than December’s rate.

Seasonal declines contributed to a loss of 16,500 jobs in the service-providing sector and 5,800 jobs in the goods-producing sector. The seasonal losses included 4,500 construction jobs and 5,300 jobs in trade, transportation and utilities.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by three-tenths of a percentage point to 9.3 percent. The national rate fell by three-tenths of a percentage point to 9.7 percent.