Legal climate does cost W.Va. jobs
by admin on 22/09/09 at 1:05 pm
Charleston Daily Mail
September 21, 2009
The latest figures from WorkForce West Virginia lend credibility to claims of our state’s unfriendly business climate.
Looking at the annually compiled Top 10 list of local employers, it is hard not to notice Kanawha County’s lack of private job providers.
Six of the area’s 10 largest employers are governmental entities. Over a five-year period, job creation from private employers such as Verizon, Acordia, and Dow has paled in comparison to that of government hires.
While a variety of factors obviously play into workforce figures, area residents shouldn’t discount the impact of our legal climate on job creation.
Earlier this year, we witnessed the exodus of hundreds of Chesapeake Energy jobs – a decision the company said was based in part on our state’s current legal framework.
When Flexsys, one of Putnam County’s top employers in 2004, announced it was closing shop, excessive legal costs were cited as a significant factor.
The private employer has been “replaced” in the Top 10 by the Putnam County Commission.
