PUTNAM COUNTY:
0 Comments | Charleston Gazette, The, Oct 19, 2009 | by Veronica Nett
WINFIELD – While loading groceries into the back of her car at the Wal-Mart in Hurricane, a woman who declined to give her name, couldn’t keep the frustration out of her voice when asked about the current job market.
Her husband, an employee with a Nitro company, lost his job last November – the day he came back to work from the Thanksgiving holiday. He was out of work for about four months before being rehired, but had to take a pay cut and lost his insurance.
“If I hadn’t had my job, I don’t know what we would have done,” she said.
While both are working now, her husband’s cut in pay and the rise in the price of food and gas have stretched the couple’s budget.
They’ve gone through their savings, and have stopped making payments to their IRA.
Since January, Putnam County’s unemployment rate has steadily risen, but compared to West Virginia’s 55 counties, it has fared better than average.
According to the most recent data from WorkForce West Virginia, Putnam County had an unemployment rate of 6.9 percent in August, the second lowest in the state behind Monongalia County, with 5 percent.
Putnam County officials say the county’s location, Interstate 64 and a diverse job market have kept the county’s unemployment rate at bay.
“We’ve been a lot better in terms of job loss and home loss,” County Commissioner Joe Haynes said. “We have been hit, but not as severely as other counties.”
Statewide, Putnam was one of seven counties that reported better- than-average unemployment rates in August, but its lead was by fractions of a percentage point.
Jefferson County reported an unemployment rate of 7 percent, Marion County, 7 percent; Gilmer, 7.2 percent; Kanawha, 7.2 percent; Mercer, 7.2 percent; and Monroe, 7.2 percent.
The statewide average for August was 8.6 percent. In September, it dropped half a percentage point to 8.1 percent.
“It’s different for each county,” said Ben Parker, director for research, information and analysis at Workforce West Virginia
arizona auto insurance quotes
No Comments »