THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 3, 1995 TAG: 9506030399
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
The jobless figure fell in Hampton Roads for the third consecutive month to 4.5 percent as the tourism season picked up and service-job growth continued to offset losses in defense-related industries.
It's the lowest unemployment in Hampton Roads since November 1990 when the measure again dropped to 4.5 percent, said William F. Mezger, senior economist at the Virginia Employment Commission. The state unemployment rate of 4 percent is the lowest level in nearly five years.
Local unemployment totaled 32,640 in April, a 1.8 percent drop from the 33,260 jobless in March. That's also down compared with 5 percent unemployment for the same period a year ago.
``Hampton Roads is pretty much following the trend,'' Mezger said. ``In Hampton Roads, there haven't been any substantial defense cuts in the last couple months compared to last year.
``Hampton Roads, of course, runs just a little higher unemployment than the other metropolitan areas. It's always been the same thing because of the turnover in military dependents.''
Virginia's rate fell to 4 percent in April, compared with 4.2 percent the previous month. That's the commonwealth's lowest unemployment level since a 3.9 percent rate in May 1990. Overall, Virginia's labor force expanded to almost 3.52 million in April.
Three localities - Fairfax, Manassas Park and Albemarle County - had jobless rates below 2 percent. Dickenson County in the southwest Virginia mountains had the state's largest jobless rate at 16.4 percent.
Mezger attributed the slide in the state jobless rate to the start of tourism season. Charlottesville had the lowest unemployment rate of any metropolitan area in the state at 2.5 percent.
Strong growth in the service sector continues to keep Hampton Roads' unemployment below U.S. levels. ILLUSTRATION: CHANGE IN NONFARM JOBS
ROBERT D. VOROS/Staff
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
UNEMLPOYMENT IN VIRGINIA
STAFF Graphic
SOURCE: The Virginia Employment Commission
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
KEYWORDS: JOBLESS RATE UNEMPLOYMENT by CNB