Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1990 TAG: 9003071360
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF BUSINESS WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The figure, however, was improved over the same month a year ago when the rate was 4.4 percent.
William Mezger, economist for the Virginia Employment Commission, said the rise from December's 3.1 percent was due to year-end layoffs. Employment normally falls in January, he said, and the figure suggests no significant problems.
The number of jobs in Roanoke fell in all categories except services, the fastest growing sector of the economy. The same was true for the state as a whole, he said.
Virginia's rate of 4.6 percent was higher than the 4.1 percent in December and 4.4 percent in January a year ago because of layoffs in the auto and auto-related industries, including cutbacks by the Ford plant in Norfolk and by suppliers of brake shoes and auto upholstery in the Shenandoah Valley, Mezger said.
He said several other industries laid off workers in January, including Miller & Rhoads, Best's and A.H. Robbins.
Those layoffs in Richmond seemed to have little impact there. January unemployment there improved to 3.6 percent from 3.7 percent in December.
Unemployment rates were up in other major metropolitan centers: Lynchburg from 4.6 percent in December to 5.2 percent in January; Hampton Roads from 5.5 percent to 5.7 percent; and Northern Virginia from 1.7 percent to 2 percent.
The state's lowest rate was 1.5 percent in Falls Church. The highest was 20.7 percent in Lancaster County, where fishing is the major industry.
The average work week in Roanoke was 42 hours, the same as last year and better than December's 40.9 hours. Average hourly wage was $11.58, down from $11.73 the prior month but up from $11.05 a year ago.
Unemployment rates were up in several areas of Western Virginia: the Bedford area from 4.4 percent to 4.9 percent; Buena Vista from 5.8 percent to 6.2 percent; Covington from 7.3 percent to 8.6 percent; Galax from 5.7 percent to 8 percent; Martinsville from 7.4 percent to 8.3 percent; Norton from 6.9 percent to 9.4 percent; and Radford from 5.9 percent to 7.7 percent.
In the Roanoke Valley, Botetourt went from 3 percent to 3.4 percent; Roanoke County from 2.3 percent to 2.8 percent; Roanoke from 4 to 4.5 percent; and Salem from 2.4 to 2.7 percent.
Among Western Virginia counties, only Franklin County showed an improvement from 10 percent in December to 5.9 percent in January.
Others were Bath from 14.3 percent to 18.2 percent; Bland from 5.6 percent to 6.1 percent; Buchanan from 5.7 percent to 7.6 percent; Carroll from 4.6 percent to 7.4 percent; Craig from 5.1 percent to 7.3 percent; Dickinson from 9.3 percent to 16.6 percent; Floyd from 5.7 percent to 8.7 percent; Giles from 9.5 percent to 11.6 percent; Grayson from 7.7 percent to 9.5 percent; Pulaski from 5.9 percent to 7.6 percent; Russell from 7.5 percent to 9.5 percent; Smyth from 7.3 percent to 8.5 percent; Tazewell from 6 to 7.8 percent; Washington from 5.1 to 5.6 percent; and Wythe from 5.8 percent to 8.3 percent.
by CNB