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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 9, 1994                   TAG: 9402090076
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: C-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

STATE'S EMPLOYMENT HIGHEST IN 39 MONTHS

Along with the positive statistics came news that employment figures for November actually were better than the VEC had reported - November's job growth was revised from 0.8 percent to 1 percent.

But the service sector was not the only area showing gains. Five of the VEC's eight major industrial divisions registered job growth in December. Business services, which includes high-tech industries, led the service sector in adding an estimated 6,600 jobs, the VEC reported.

The governmental sector added 5,100 jobs, an 0.8 percent gain, with much of that growth coming from local educational hires.

On the negative side, manufacturing again led the jobs losses. Chemical manufacturing lost 2,100 jobs from December a year ago, the VEC said.

- Staff report

\ Employment in Virginia metro areas/\ Dec. 1993 Dec. 1992 Change\ Lynchburg 80,300 78,200 +2.7%\ Richmond 478,000 467,300 +2.3%\ Northern Va. 784,600 768,600 +2.1%\ Bristol 34,400 33,800 +1.8%\ Charlottesville 72,000 71,100 +1.3%\ Danville 42,300 41,900 +1.0%\ Roanoke 129,600 125,900 +0.5%\ Norfolk area 591,900 590,700 +0.2%\ State 2,912,100 2,876,700 +1.2%\ Source: Va. Employment Commission