THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508050278
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Hampton Roads and the rest of the state recorded their lowest June jobless rate in five years despite the summer throng of students entering the labor force.
Hampton Roads' unemployment rate hit 5.3 percent, or 39,230 people. Last June that rate was 6.1 percent.
The last time June's figure sunk that low was in 1990 when it dropped to 5.1 percent.
Virginia's jobless rate was 4.7 percent, or 169,500 people, this June.
William F. Mezger, senior economist at the Virginia Employment Commission, attributed the lower June unemployment to the strong economy both locally and statewide.
``We think this is the best job market for students since 1990,'' Mezger said. ``Employers seem to be hiring more this year than they have in the past years.''
Virginia also set records for employment, labor force size and average weekly production wage.
The number of people with jobs was a record 3.1 million while the size of the labor force grew to a new high of 3.58 million. And workers earned more than ever; average weekly production wages rose $6.10 to $490.89.
The tourism industry helped push service employment higher to 883,200 as theme parks and lodging facilities, particularly in this region, added workers for the summer season.
``The tourism industry in Virginia looks like it's off to a very, very good start,'' Mezger said.
Here in Hampton Roads, nonfarm employment was up 2.3 percent, or 14,600, compared to a year ago. Tourism accounted for 5,100 more jobs in the local market.
KEYWORDS: UNEMPLOYMENT JOBLESS RATE by CNB