Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 3, 1995 TAG: 9511030074
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
The jobless rate for Roanoke, Salem, Roanoke County and Botetourt County came in well below the state's rate of 4.5 percent and nearly two full ticks below the national rate of 5.4 percent, the Virginia Employment Commission said.
The jobless rate generally has fallen in this area since 1992 because of robust job growth. By the latest count, also released Thursday, the area's job supply stood at 140,000 positions in September, up 4,900 jobs, or 3.6 percent, from a year earlier.
The state posted its lowest September unemployment rate in five years. Rates for localities ranged from 1 percent in the city of Fairfax to 19.2 percent in Wise County.
In the Roanoke area, weekly wages paid to manufacturing workers averaged $568.51 in September, up 17 percent from $484.36 a year earlier. The state posted an average weekly wage in September of $498.46.
The average Roanoke-area manufacturing employee put in 42.3 hours of work per week in September, up from 41.9 hours a year earlier. The statewide average workweek in September was 42.1 hours.
The Roanoke-area jobless rate rose from 3.3 percent in August, mainly because of students pursing after-school jobs, the VEC said.
by CNB