THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 8, 1994 TAG: 9411080307
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Unemployment in September declined slightly in Hampton Roads as school service employees returned to work.
Even so, Hampton Roads had the highest unemployment figure among the state's metropolitan areas because of continuing defense cutbacks and the end of the tourism season.
``Hampton Roads has more of the tourist industry than most of the state, so that industry is cutting back from August to September,'' said William F. Mezger, a senior economist at commission. He expects construction and retail to gear up as builders rush to finish jobs before the winter and merchants prepare for the holidays.
The employment figures released Monday show that the number of jobless claims in Hampton Roads fell 1.8 percent in September, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. Only 39,370 people filed for unemployment, compared with 40,420 in August.
School bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other school service employees contributed to the lower unemployment rates because the 10-month employees are not on July and August payrolls.
Virginia's unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent in September, matching April for the best rate of the year. The state's rate was significantly lower than the national figure of 5.6 percent. The number of workers in Virginia who were unemployed was down 7,300 to 162,000, a 0.2 percent decline.
Annual job growth continues in Hampton Roads at a respectable pace of 1.9 percent. Growth is particularly strong in the areas of retail, business, finance and other services.
Northern Virginia and Roanoke all enjoyed a drop in unemployment rates, but rates rose slightly in Lynchburg and Richmond-Petersburg due to factory layoffs.
Wage and workweek levels reached new highs in Virginia. An average weekly wage of $480.25 was $10.69 above August and $26.24 higher than in 1993. The average workweek for production workers reached a post-World War II high of 42.5 hours in September.
Nonagricultural employment for the month reached a new high of 3,034,400, surpassing Virginia's previous record of 3,032,500, set in June.
Initial claims in Hampton Roads fell in September to 4,043, which was 1.6 percent lower than a year ago. In August, 4,326 people filed. ILLUSTRATION: Staff graphic
Source: The Virginia Employment Commission
Virginia Unemployment drops
Percent unemployed - September 1994
For complete list, see microfilm
KEYWORDS: UNEMPLOYMENT HAMPTON ROADS VIRGINIA UNITED STATES by CNB