Danville area jobless rate jumps

By Bernard Baker

Published: December 4, 2008

A furlough at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. during the week of October caused Danville’s jobless rate to spike.

Bill Mezger, chief economist for the Virginia Employment Commission, said the city’s October unemployment rate was 11.8 percent, compared to 8.8 percent in September. A year ago, the rate was 5.4 percent.

“Usually Danville does better in the fall of the year because of season activities.” Mezger said. “The main reason it was up was because of the one furlough – your largest employer.”

Jo Andrews, spokeswoman for the Goodyear plant, said the company has another furlough set for next week.

“We’re trying to keep as many people working as we can,” Andrews said. “We’re trying to run as many areas as the market will sustain.”

Next week’s furlough will see the Danville plant concentrate on meeting demands for aircraft tires, not truck tires, she said.

The October jobless rate for the Danville area, which includes Pittsylvania County, was 9.8 percent with slightly more than 5,040 people unemployed, up from 7.6 percent and 3,870 people out of work, Mezger said. A year ago, the unemployment rate was 5.4 percent with 2,890 people out of work.

He said the county’s jobless rate was 8.4, with 2,640 people out of work compared to 6.8 in September with 2,117 jobless. A year ago, the rate was 5.2 percent and 1,693 out of work.

Martinsville continued to have the highest unemployment rate in Virginia, Mezger said.

The rate was 12.7 percent with 814 people out of work, compared to a rate of 12 percent and 763 people unemployed in September. A year ago, the rate was 7.6 and 460 jobless.

“Not a whole lot of change has taken place in Martinsville,” Mezger said. “They may have had some furloughs. Martinsville and Henry County’s unemployment was from American Furniture layoffs at the end of August.”

Henry County’s jobless rate was 8.6 percent, compared to 8.4 percent in September. A year ago, the rate was 5.5 percent.

Halifax County saw some improvement in the jobless situation, Mezger said. The rate dropped from 7.4 percent in September to 7.2. A year ago, it was 5.9 percent with 930 people were out of work.

Contact Bernard Baker at or (434) 791-7986.