CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — New statistics show that West Virginia’s total employment fell by 4,400 jobs last year, a metric that the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce calls “concerning.”
According to state employment data released by WorkForce West Virginia in July 2025, West Virginia’s workforce shrank by 7,600 people and total employment fell by 4,400. The report shows data from July 2024 compared to July 2025.
In a press release on Monday, the West Virginia Chamber raised concern for the continued decline of jobs in the state, calling the number “troubling.”
“We must treat it as a warning sign, and we must respond with urgency,” Chamber President Steve Roberts said in the release. He continued, “West Virginia is not keeping pace with the region or the nation. This should concern every leader in our state.”
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The release said that some of West Virginia’s core industries represented some of the highest job losses in the last year, including the hospitality industry, which lost 2,700 jobs last year, accounting for than 60% of the job losses last year and nearly 4% of West Virginia’s hospitality workforce.
The WV Chamber said that other notable losses were 600 jobs in the mining industry—accounting for 3% of the industry workforce— 200 manufacturing jobs and 600 jobs in the retail industry.
West Virginia has had 14 months of consecutive employment decline, according to the release. However, employment has grown in some industries in West Virginia, including in the private sector.
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