IMPENDING LAYOFFS FAIL TO DIM ROANOKE'S 1992 JOB GROWTH

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 3, 1993                   TAG: 9302030034
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
IMPENDING LAYOFFS FAIL TO DIM ROANOKE'S 1992 JOB GROWTH
Despite announcements of future layoffs, Roanoke ended 1992 with the best employment growth among the state's major metropolitan areas, the Virginia Employment Commission said Tuesday.
Roanoke gained 1,700 jobs last year. Yet the total number of people at work fell 700 from November to December, mainly from a loss of 600 jobs in local and state governments. These were in recreation, grounds maintenance and election officials, according to William Mezger of the VEC.
Roanoke's jobless rate dropped from 4.7 percent in November to 4.6 percent in December and the number unemployed fell 170 to 6,090. Hiring by retailers for the Christmas season accounted for the slight drop in both the regional and state jobless rates.
Roanoke, Charlottesville and Bristol "are probably coming out of the recession better than the large areas of the state," Mezger said.
But he acknowledged that Roanoke's employment is likely to decline this year when announced layoffs take effect. But the impact will depend on the timing of job cuts. "If they are gradual, it will not be as bad," he said.
Among the job gains recorded for Roanoke during December, 400 were in retailing, 100 were in finance, 100 in transportation and public utilities and 100 were by the federal government.
Offsetting the gains were these job losses: 500 in services, 400 in local government, 200 each in construction and state government and 100 in manufacturing.
Mezger said the statewide increase of 16,000 jobs from October to December was the best for that season in two years.
For January, he predicted the jobless rate would rise to 6.4 or 6.5 percent. Unemployment always rises after cutbacks in retailing and outside work after Christmas, he said.
The number of people in the Roanoke area drawing jobless benefits in December rose 53 to 2,054. The average number of new claims filed increased 153 to 373 a week, the VEC said.
Roanoke-area factory workers earned an average of $508.82 a week in December, down $24.90 from November. The average factory hours worked in December was 41.3, down 1.5 from November.\ WESTERN VA. JOBLESS RATES Dec\ .Nov\ .19921992 Bath County22.3%15.1%Bedford, Bedford County4.9 %5.3 %Bland County4.4 %4.0 %Buchanan County12.4%12.6%Carroll County6.9 %6.3 %Covington-Clifton Forge9.5 %8.2 %Craig County5.7 %6.0 %Franklin County6.3 %6.7 %Galax area6.6 %6.6 %Grayson County6.7 %7.9 %Lexington, Buena Vista9.5 %8.0 %Martinsville area6.3 %5.8 %Smyth County10.1%9.4 %Tazewell County9.3 %9.9 %Washington County6.1 %6.7 %Wythe County8.9 %8.3 %

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB