[September 01, 2011] Hampton Roads' jobless rate remained steady at 7 percent in July Tweet Sep 01, 2011 (Daily Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Hampton Roads' unemployment rate held steady at 7 percent in July, despite the loss of 6,300 nonfarm payroll jobs in the region, the Virginia Employment Commission said Wednesday. A majority of the losses came from the local government sector, which shed 3,500 jobs between June and July. Earlier in August, the employment commission attributed a majority of government job losses in the state to the summer release of nonteaching service workers employed at school systems. The region also lost 2,900 jobs in the professional and business service sector, according to the commission. Those losses were somewhat offset by a gain of 2,500 jobs in the seasonal leisure and hospitality sector, which typically is in full force during July. The transportation and shipbuilding sectors also posted modest gains for the month, with each tacking on 800 jobs. Hampton Roads' jobless rate was 7.4 percent in July 2010. The region's unemployment figure is higher than the state's 6.2 percent overall jobless rate for July. Across the commonwealth, 47,000 nonfarm payroll jobs disappeared between June and July. Virginia's jobless rate was 6.3 percent in June and 6.9 percent in July 2010. The nationwide rate for July was 9.3, unchanged from June. The figures are not seasonally adjusted. ___ (c)2011 the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) Visit the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) at www.dailypress.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]