Francis H Peirpont

Main Menu

  • West Virginia
  • Charleston
  • Raleigh
  • Huntington
  • Accounts

Francis H Peirpont

Header Banner

Francis H Peirpont

  • West Virginia
  • Charleston
  • Raleigh
  • Huntington
  • Accounts
West Virginia
Home›West Virginia›Promoting the Best of West Virginia | News, Sports, Jobs

Promoting the Best of West Virginia | News, Sports, Jobs

By Lisa R. Bonnell
February 2, 2022
0
0

John Deskins, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University, was quick to discuss one of the factors holding back the state’s economy. Exploring where we should be striving to improve, he said: “I think we could finally move away from this negative stereotype that we want to avoid.”

To that end, Deskins told lawmakers last month that he believes our state can diversify its economy by promoting our outdoor recreation opportunities, our appeal as a place for remote workers and also tourism.

“If we do more to continue to drive tourism in West Virginia, to get people to start thinking of us as a tourism-oriented state, at least in some sense, (then) we can do things to bring more of remote workers to come here and spend more money in the state to build momentum…” Deskins said.

He also spoke about the importance of having salable land ready for business as we strive to catch up with neighboring states in this regard.

But Deskins’ concern for our future stems from the number of people who are simply no longer in the workforce. Mountain State is dead last in the percentage of the eligible workforce either actively employed or seeking work.

And this is where we come back to those negative stereotypes.

Deskins said those numbers are due to poor school performance, health issues and substance abuse.

“The integration of more of our employees into the labor market is crucial for economic development. To bring a business to West Virginia, we have to be able to convince that business that they can find the workers they need in West Virginia,” he said.

There it is. An effort must now be made to get people into the workforce, especially with the recent positive economic development announcements in Mason and Kanawha counties. We need to change the mindset others have of West Virginia, and that starts with being honest with ourselves about the many challenges we face.



Today’s breaking news and more to your inbox






Related posts:

  1. States ranked by average firearm injury hospitalization
  2. Senator Joe Manchin said he wanted to ‘stay and fight’ during the Capitol riots
  3. West Virginia governor stumbles hard to defend anti-trans bill
  4. Cypress Elementary accepts book donations in memory of beloved teacher
Tagsbreaking newswest virginia

Recent Posts

  • Four climbers participated in the Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships
  • Charleston Airport Sets New One-Month Passenger Record, Surpassing 500,000 for the First Time | Company
  • Raleigh Women Shot Dead on Business Trip to California :: WRAL.com
  • Huntington Police Blotter: 2 women steal sandals for $2,700
  • Special session looms on West Virginia abortion law, but shape unclear

Archives

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021

Categories

  • Accounts
  • Charleston
  • Huntington
  • Raleigh
  • West Virginia
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy