THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 11, 1997 TAG: 9702110249
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 48 lines
The verdict on Virginia's 1996 employment climate is in: The state's economy turned in its best results of the decade.
The state's 3.9 percent December unemployment rate was the lowest for that month since a 3.8 percent rate posted in 1989, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Monday.
For the year, Virginia's unemployment rate averaged 4.2 percent, below the 1995 average of 4.5 percent. Hampton Roads' unemployment rate in 1996 averaged 4.7 percent, which also dipped below last year's average of 4.9 percent.
``Generally, '88 and '89 were the best years of the '80s as far as unemployment goes,'' said William F. Mezger, senior economist at the VEC. ``It's taken us five or six years to get back to just about the same point now.''
Average weekly wages and the length of the work week in Virginia continued to post new highs. The average weekly wage for production workers increased $16.80 from November to December, reaching a new high of $538.59, the VEC said.
Among manufacturing jobs, the average worker toiled seven-tenths of an hour longer than in November. The manufacturing worker's average work week of 43.4 hours was a record.
Usually this late in an economic recovery employers who need the extra work would have added staff, Mezger said.
``With the high cost of putting people on the payroll and fringe benefits, there seems to be a tendency to work people overtime,'' he said.
Most of the cities and counties within Hampton Roads maintained their low unemployment rates in December. But the two counties on the Eastern Shore saw jumps in their rates, mostly because of their dependence on seasonal work that slows during the winter.
Accomack County's unemployment rate jumped from 8.5 percent in November to 9.4 percent in December. Northampton County's rate jumped from 6.1 percent to 7.1 percent from month to month.
``They were bouncing around a lot depending on fishing and oystering and poultry processing that picks up for the holidays,'' Mezger said. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
December 1996 Unemployment
Hampton Roads
Virginia
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KEYWORDS: UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAMPTON ROADS VIRGINIA