ROANOKE TIMES 

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

DATE: TUESDAY, September 27, 1994                   TAG: 9409270105
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: C8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ROANOKE TOPS JOB GROWTH

Roanoke led Virginia's six major industrial divisions in the pace of job growth in July, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Monday. The region's 4.2 percent gain over July 1993 outpaced the 3 percent average gain statewide.

The greatest gain in the state was in service jobs, which increased by 42,300. Roanoke's greatest gain also was in service jobs, which grew by 8.1 percent. Service jobs can be in business, engineering and management, social services, private schools and colleges and the tourist industry.

The Roanoke Valley's greatest increases came in business and health services. The area also had gains in trade, manufacturing and construction jobs.

Even though Roanoke had the highest percentage of gain, it was Northern Virginia that added the most jobs. Its 31,700 increase represented 36 percent of the statewide gain in employment.

Areas that lost jobs were manufacturing and mining. Factory jobs were off by only 0.5 percent, but mine employment was down 9.2 percent because of automation.

In Lynchburg, employment was up 3.5 percent, or 3,200, to 94,600. Lynchburg had healthy gains in services and trade. 


 by CNB