White Collar Unemployment Remains High: Jobless Figures Still High in Area
UNEMPLOYMENT among white-collar professionals/'forced primarily by defense cutbacks, remains at an unusually high level throughout the Washington suburbs.</br></br>The general rate of unemployment for local suburban areas remains well below the national rate of 5.6 per cent. But reports from local officials this week indicate that there has been no drop-off from the high level of professional unemployment reported last July.</br></br>There are now about 1,000 persons collecting unemployment insurance in Montgomery County, and 78 per cent of them are white-collar workers, the Maryland State Employment Service reports.</br></br>That level of unemployment compares with about 325 persons collecting unemployment insurance in November, 1969, and about 700 persons last July.</br></br>The unemployment started to increase early this year as MontgomeryÛªs electronics and engineering industries along Rte. 70-S, faced with defense cut-backs, began to lay off highly skilled employees.