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

DATE: TUESDAY, February 28, 1995                   TAG: 9502280094
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EMPLOYMENT IS HEALTHY IN THE VALLEY

The Roanoke Valley economy created 4,900 jobs in December, boosting employment by 3.7 percent to 138,000, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Monday.

The VEC said the number of jobs in retail and wholesale trade rose by 1,800. Services, led by business services, increased 1,300. Together, they constituted the job growth leaders for December.

There also were gains of 500 in manufacturing, 400 each in construction and government, and 300 in finance.

The 3.7 percent increase meant the region tied with Northern Virginia among state metropolitan areas with the second largest job growth during December. Bristol, up 4.3 percent, led the state even though it is the smallest of the areas.

In Virginia, non-agricultural employment reached another all-time high, climbing to 3,075,900 in December.

For the fourth month in a row, non-farm employment set a record, rising from 3,032,800 in September to 3,058,000 in October and 3,073,900 in November.

The number of jobs increased by 90,800 or 3 percent from December with all eight Virginia metropolitan areas reporting year-over-year job gains.

The commission attributed December's record employment level to a very good holiday season on top of an already strong Virginia economy.

Six of Virginia's eight major industrial divisions registered positive annual job growth in December.

Services, at 852,100, posted the largest annual increase with gains of 39,700 or 4.9 percent. Service gains accounted for nearly 44 percent of the annual December job increase.

Trade employment, at 709,100, was 33,400 or 4.9 percent, ahead of December 1993. The largest trade increases were at restaurants, up 6,800; wholesalers, up 5,000; grocery stores, up 4,500; home furnishing and specialty retailers, each up 3,600; and general merchandise retailers and auto dealers, each up 3,300.

Mild weather and the large number of building projects under way kept construction employment at 164,600, the best December level in four years. December's construction employment was 8,400 or 5.4 percent higher than the prior December's level.

The commission said December's bright construction picture was largely responsible for increasing finance-insurance-real estate by 7,200 or 4.5 percent to 167,400.

The last-minute shipment of holiday merchandise and the good holiday travel season caused transportation-utilities employment, at 155,900 in December, to rise 2,200 or 1.4 percent above the prior December's level.

Manufacturing employment increased by 1,500 or 0.4 percent. Total government employment, at 610,800, was 500 or 0.1 percent below the prior year because of federal defense cuts and hiring freezes in state government.

in state government. The federal civilian subsector, at 169,300, was down 4,200 or 2.4 percent. Mine employment of 11,400 was 1,100 or 8.8 percent below the December 1993 level.