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

DATE: THURSDAY, March 25, 1993                   TAG: 9303250126
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL

Virginia's initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 42.1 percent in February from January and by 28 percent from February 1992, the Virginia Employment Commission said Wednesday.

The level of claims is used to gauge the direction in which the economy may be moving, the agency said.

February claims were at the lowest level for that month in four years, said William Mezger, the VEC's research economist. In late winter, he added, fewer new layoffs were occurring than at any time in the last four years.

Initial claims normally fall after holiday furloughs and no disruptive snowstorms occurred until the last working day of February, he said. - Staff report

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