W.Va.'s Unemployment Rate Falls Dramatically

West Virginia's dropping unemployment rate is reaching some new lows. From April to May, the state’s jobless rate dropped from 5.2 percent to 4.3. During that time, 7,400 fewer people reported being unemployed. "I tend to think that labor market conditions are in real good shape in this state," said Steve Shackleford of the state Bureau of Employment Programs. West Virginia is close to what most economists call "full employment," or 4 percent unemployment, he said. It is also called "ideal unemployment" because if the rate drops much below 4 percent, then wages become inflationary. The state's civilian labor force totaled 793,100 people in May. That's up about 2,000 from the same month the previous year.