ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Virginia's economy is slowly bouncing back following the recession which ended in 2009, according to a State of the Commonwealth report delivered in Roanoke on Tuesday.
Researchers from Old Dominion University (ODU) said Virginia ranks 33rd when it comes to economic growth in the United States.
Experts said despite seeing the labor force increase, the growth is sluggish.
"Virginia is under-performing economically. We need to do better," said James V. Koch, ODU Board of Visitors professor of Economics. "We are not growing as fast as the United States."
Koch presented the State of the Commonwealth report at the Patrick Henry Hotel on Tuesday. Koch said part of the challenge in Roanoke is job participation.
"Suffering from declining participation rates where people have left the job market just as the rest of Virginia is," said Koch. "It is also dealing with structural unemployment. There are jobs around, but people are not qualified to fill them."
Roanoke Economic Development Director Wayne Bowers said steps are being taken to recruit talent and make sure the current workforce is prepared. He points to partnerships focused on training in areas like mechanical, electrical and computer engineering.
"Certainly we are working with Virginia Western and Workforce Development Board to try to make sure our future employees who want jobs are trained and ready to take those jobs," said Bowers. "The Mechatronics program at Virginia Western is a good example."
It's not all bad news for the Star City economy. Local companies like Chervan furniture are growing.
"We are very blessed right now. We are blessed number one with our great employees, we have a great team of employees that are committed to us manufacturing, which is what we are all about," said Dixie Wood, Chervan's director of customer service.
Staff said they have close to 200 employees who help manufacture furniture at the facility. Managers said they are now in the process of expanding operations in Roanoke. Woods said the company's commitment to quality service as well as the community are keys to their success.
"Investing in that U.S. manufacturing facility, investing in their employees to keep it all here" said Wood.
While growth has been slower than expected, economic development leaders said the Roanoke region is heading in the right direction.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's office responded to the recent State of the Commonwealth report saying, "The Governor is focused every day on creating jobs in sectors like advance manufacturing, bioscience, cyber security and others that will lay a new foundation for future economic growth. And that work is paying off. When the Governor took office, Virginia's unemployment rate was 5.4% -- today it is 4.2%."
The email response goes on to say "The report presented today offers an incomplete picture of Virginia's economy and does not capture the clear progress we are making following the Great Recession and the damage of the federal government shutdown and sequestration."