ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 31, 1996 TAG: 9609030028
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
The Roanoke region's unemployment rate remained at 2.8 percent in July, the same as a year ago, state labor officials said Friday.
But irregularities in the way employment statistics were reported made the local job market appear worse in Pulaski County and brighter regionally than it actually is, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
Officials gathered data used to estimate the July jobless rate in Pulaski County during a week when there were routine shutdowns at Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp., some of its suppliers and area furniture companies. That resulted in the jobless rate being reported as 14.9 percent of the county's work force. Analysts collect employment data during the same week of each month.
Were the plants operating, the rate would have been closer to last year's 6.1 percent, said Bill Mezger, senior economist at the VEC.
On the other hand, the count picked up some Roanoke Valley school cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other support personnel even though they had been dismissed for the summer, resulting in an inflated picture of the job supply, Mezger said. He said it was not clear why that happened.
The overall economy is stable, with low unemployment and moderate growth, Mezger said.
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: map showing jobless rates. STAFFby CNB