Weakening Economy Cited as a Factor
In what could be a preview of times to come, Virginia's unemployment rate rose nearly one-half point In June, from 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent, the Virginia Employment Commission reported yesterday.</br></br>Experts said the statewide increase was principally due to an influx of students looking for summer jobs, but the rise in Northern Virginia joblessnessÛÓfrom 2.0 percent to 2.2 percentÛÓalso stemmed from the weakening economy here.</br></br>"In Northern Virginia, it has slackened more than anywhere else.Û said William Mezger, a research econo- mist with the commission. "Jobs in Northern Virginia had been growing at 5 to 7 percent [per year], while the rest of the state was growing by 3 percent. Now it has slowed down.Û</br></br>The Northern Virginia figures, along with information about suburban Maryland and the District, will be used in calculating the June unemployment rate for'the D.C. area, which is also likely to show an increase when it is released Friday. Although the local jobless rate Is one of the lowest urban rates in the nation, it masks slowing area job growth and ill health in such industries as construction, defense, retailing and finance.</br></br>tion slowdown actually appears in the jobless rates for several counties ns far away as 50 miles from Washington. It is from those counties that many of this area's construction workers came, and that is where they have returned as their industry lost 7,500 jobs in Northern Virginia from June 1989 to June 1990.