Child Care, Housing, and the Workforce: West Virginia’s Future Depends on Getting This Right
June 24, 2025
In the push to build a stronger economy in West Virginia, we often zero in on industries, investments, and innovation. But ask nearly any parent, job seeker, or business owner across the state what’s keeping people out of the workforce, and you’ll hear the same two words over and over: child care and housing.
These aren’t personal hurdles. They’re economic chokepoints.
On May 8, 2025, a panel of West Virginia’s most determined changemakers took the stage at Generation West Virginia’s Pathways to Progress Conference to discuss what many consider the two biggest barriers to workforce participation in the Mountain State. But this wasn’t just a discussion, it was a call to action.