JOBLESS RATE UP IN REGION, STATE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 8, 1992                   TAG: 9201080115
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY BUSINESS EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
JOBLESS RATE UP IN REGION, STATE
Both the unemployment rate and the number of people at work rose slightly in the Roanoke Valley in November, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Tuesday.
But cutbacks among some major area employers means there were 1,500 fewer jobs in the region than in November 1990, the agency said.
Of the lost jobs in the Roanoke area, the largest portion were 1,100 slots cut by manufacturers, 900 by the construction trades and 300 by the real estate, finance and insurance sectors. The losses were partly offset by a gain of 1,500 jobs in the service sector during the year.
Layoffs have been reported in the past year at Gardner-Denver Mining and Construction, Ingersoll-Rand, ITT Corp. and Medeco Security Locks.
The November addition of 500 retail jobs in Roanoke and 10,400 in the state increased employment despite reductions in manufacturing and construction. Total Roanoke employment in November was 128,700, up 100 from October.
Scattered factory layoffs cost 300 Roanoke-area manufacturing jobs and construction rolls were down by 200.
November statistics were influenced by the number of people looking for Christmas-season work, as retailers added enough jobs to boost the employment level.
Roanoke's 4.9 percent unemployment rate, up from 4.5 percent in October, was based on 6,370 job seekers, an increase of 510 during the month, the VEC reported. In November 1990, the rate was 3.6 percent.
Roanoke's November jobless rate was second-lowest among major metropolitan areas in the state, after Northern Virginia's 3.6 percent rate.
The Roanoke area "probably escaped the recession more than any other metropolitan area," said William F. Mezger, VEC research economist.
The state jobless rate edged upward to 5.6 percent from 5.2 percent in October and 4.6 percent in November 1990.
Mezger said Roanoke's unemployment probably will go above 5 percent and the state rate will be close to 6 percent by January. He predicted that the state unemployment rate for December will report a slight increase to 5.5 percent to 5.6 percent.
Most of the people looking for Christmas work had been hired when the unemployment figures were tabulated, he said, but some metropolitan areas may have lower rates because of concentrations of retail activity.
The number of new claims for unemployment benefits in the Roanoke area declined in November to 224 per week from 281 in October. The number of people in the Roanoke area drawing benefits increased to 2,277 from 2,100 in October.
The VEC said Roanoke's average factory work week of 42.2 hours in November showed that its industries "were doing a little better than the state," Mezger said. Overtime work may be partly a result of workers filling in for others who have been laid off, he said.
Among localities, Roanoke had a 5.7 percent unemployment rate in November, up from 5.3 percent in October; Roanoke County 4.1 percent, up from 3.6 percent, and Salem 4.6 percent, up from 4.4 percent.
Lynchburg's rate for November was 5.9 percent, up from 5.4 percent; Richmond-Petersburg 5.4 percent, up from 5 percent; Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News 6 percent, up from 5.6 percent; and Northern Virginia 3.6 percent, up from 3.5 percent.
Other Western Virginia areas: Bedford 5.4 percent, up from 5 percent; Buena Vista-Rockbridge County 7.7 percent, up from 6.1 percent; Covington-Clifton Forge 10.6 percent, up from 8.5 percent; Galax 6.8 percent, up from 5.9 percent; Martinsville 6.9 percent, up from 6 percent; and Radford 9.3 percent, up from 9.1 percent.
Among counties: Alleghany 10.6 percent, up from 8.7 percent; Bath, highest in the state, 16.1 percent, up from 7.4 percent; Bland 4.4 percent, unchanged; Botetourt 5 percent, up from 3.9 percent; Carroll 7.1 percent, up from 5.6 percent; Craig 6.4 percent, up from 5.3 percent; Floyd 11.9 percent, up from 10.8 percent.
Franklin 5.9 percent, down from 6.2 percent; Giles 12.1 percent, down from 12.3 percent; Grayson 6.5 percent, down from 6.6 percent; Montgomery 7.9 percent, down from 8.1 percent; Pulaski 9.7 percent, up from 9.1 percent; Smyth 8.4 percent, up from 6.4 percent; Tazewell 9.3 percent, up from 8.8 percent; Washington 6.1 percent, up from 5.3 percent; and Wythe 8.1 percent, up from 6.6 percent.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB