CHARLESTON -
The number of unemployed in West Virginia went up in June, according to information released by WorkForce West Virginia.
The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7 percent for the month, up one-tenth of a percent from May.
Joblessness increased in 23 counties and remained unchanged in seven others. However, 25 counties reported falling unemployment rates in June.
Jefferson and Monongalia counties tied for the lowest rate in the state at 5.2 percent. Boone County's 12.2 percent rate was the highest. Some of Boone County's higher rate may be tied to recent layoff announcements at several southern West Virginia coal mines.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Maloney used the monthly employment release to lash out at Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and policies in the state that some say hamper job creation.
"There are fewer people working in West Virginia than any other state in the country. West Virginians are struggling, and yet, despite a lifetime in politics, Earl Ray Tomblin has no specific plan to create jobs," Maloney said in a news release.
"As a businessman who signed the front of a paycheck, I know what it takes to create jobs and encourage economic growth. I have spent my career in the private-sector, and I have a plan to take on the career politicians so we can control government spending, reform our courts, and fix our job-killing tax structure in order to encourage job growth."
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