2,500 local jobs lost in past year

WINCHESTER — The local job market lost 2,500 jobs in the 12 months ended in June, according to a Virginia Employment Commission report.

The 4.4 percent drop was the highest among Virginia metro areas.

Goods-producing employment, which includes mining, construction and manufacturing, was down 15.4 percent, or 1,800 jobs, during the period. Most of the job losses were in vehicle- and housing-related manufacturing.

Service industries had a net reduction of 1.6 percent, or 700 jobs.

All 10 metro areas of the state saw same job loss from June 2008 to June 2009, although the Lynchburg and Harrisonburg areas posted only minimal employment reductions of a few hundred each.

The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News area (down 1 percent, or 7,600 jobs) continued to have the least reduction among Virginia’s three largest metro areas.

The Richmond area lost the most jobs at 21,800, or 3.4 percent, while Northern Virginia was down 14,300 jobs, or 1.1 percent.

The Winchester-area jobless rate stood at 8.5 percent in June.

— Daily Staff Report