Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, SportsWinter Months Tough for Unemployment in the Mountain State

Winter Months Tough for Unemployment in the Mountain State

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By Samantha Cahill, Greenbrier County Bureau Reporter - email

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RONCEVERTE -

Winter months can be brutal for job searchers in the mountain state.

Although West Virginia has a lower unemployment rate than the national average, December unemployment rates in the state increased to 7.7 percent.

Janet Shelton, manager of WorkForce West Virginia in Ronceverte said the unemployment spike is typical for this time of year.

"In the winter months, occupations such as construction, maybe your logging, tourism type jobs would be affected," said Shelton.

Shelton said WorkForce West Virginia offers workshops twice a week for job seekers.

"The purpose of those workshops is to make available to these individuals all the information we have about training opportunities, resume writing, job search tips. Just basic information that someone would need if they're out looking for a job," said Shelton.

The WorkForce West Virginia Greenbrier Valley location offers a resource center available to anyone who wants to apply for a job or update a resume.

The resource center is a free service and allows job searchers to access the Internet, a printer, and assistance from WorkForce employees on anything from writing a cover letter, to applying for jobs online.

WorkForce partners with local agencies to refer individuals looking for employment.

Shelton said unemployment rates are up, but they aren't expected to stay that way forever.

"We do expect the numbers to decrease in the upcoming months. It will be gradual and slow, but that's what we would expect to see, the unemployment rate to go down," said Shelton.