ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 18, 1996 TAG: 9610180046
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON
Roanoke metro had an estimated 138,600 jobs in August, up 3.7 percent from a year earlier, state labor officials said Thursday.
On a percentage basis, the region placed ahead of the seven other metro areas in the state, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
The monthly job report paints a bright picture of the economy for Roanoke, Salem, Roanoke County and Botetourt County. But analysts also said it should be viewed cautiously because of some unidentified glitches in the data.
VEC senior economist Bill Mezger said he believes the problem lies with the agency's tracking of local school employment.
The state's overall job supply grew to 3.1 million positions, up 1.8 percent. The service job category, with 922,600 positions, grew fastest, at 4.3 percent. Business and computer jobs rose by 14,900, while engineering, architectural and management consultant jobs rose by 8,000. Health care employment rose by 4,600 jobs statewide.
But manufacturing employment fell by 1.3 percent, the VEC said.
LENGTH: Short : 30 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: Employment in Virginia metro areas. KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB