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

DATE: SATURDAY, January 15, 1994                   TAG: 9401150047
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LON WAGNER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

JOB GROWTH SLOWS IN THE ROANOKE VALLEY

Virginia continued in November to add jobs at a pace of about 23,000 per month, with the service sector again leading the way with a gain of 17,500 jobs, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Friday.

Business services added 5,200 jobs statewide, with the 2,900 jobs in health services the second biggest gainer in that sector.

Lynchburg led the state in job growth, something the VEC attributes to an expansion of its educational-services sector and finance industry. Northern Virginia was second, due to increases in construction and trade jobs.

Roanoke didn't fare so well. Roanoke's jobs continue to increase in service industries, government and construction, but its manufacturing sector continues to lose jobs, the VEC said.

The VEC still is attributing Roanoke's slow job growth to the closing of the Sears Telecatalog Center and its loss of 1,300 jobs in May. Although Retired Persons Services, a mail-order prescription drug operation, has moved into the former Sears building, it has yet to hire as many people as Sears laid off.

The VEC on Jan. 6 reported that the Roanoke metro area's unemployment rate had dropped to 4.3 percent in November and the area's work force rose to 129,000 nonfarm jobs, the largest on record.

\ Employment in Virginia Metro areas\ \ Nov. 1993 Nov. 1992 Change\ Lynchburg 80,100 78,100 +2.6%\ Northern Va. 780,100 765,100 +2.0%\ Richmond 476,500 467,600 +1.9%\ Charlottesville 72,300 71,000 +1.8%\ Bristol 34,200 33,800 +1.2%\ Danville 42,200 41,900 +0.7%\ Roanoke 129,900 129,400 +0.4%\ Norfolk area 593,100 592,600 +0.1%\ State 2,901,700 2,878,500 +0.8%\

by CNB