Statewide, the unemployment rate is unchanged at 5.7%, up from 4% a year ago, and nationally the rate increased from 6.5% to 6.5%, up from 4% last year.
Danville has 19,194 able to work and 1,682 looking for work.
Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell .3 of a percentage point in January, to 5.3%, which is 2.8% above the rate from a year ago.
According to household survey data in January, the labor force decreased by 1,452, essentially unchanged, to 4,253,627, as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 8,920.
The number of employed residents rose by 7,468, to 4,026,343, and Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continues to be below the national rate, which decreased to 6.3%.
Virginia nonagricultural wage and salary employment, from the monthly establishment survey, rose by 14,100 jobs in January to 3,895,200.
December’s preliminary estimate was revised downward by 28,900, eliminating that month’s small job gain. In January, private sector employment increased by 8,900 jobs to 3,191,200, while public sector payrolls increased by 5,200 jobs, to 704,000.
Employment rose in seven of 11 major industry sectors and declined in four, with the largest job gain in government, with its 5,200-job increase pushing the total to 704,000. That increase came in state government (+5,700 jobs), while the federal government (-300 jobs) and local government (-200 jobs) shed jobs.
