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There were 6,190 people out of work in the Danville/Pittsylvania County area in November, as the jobless rate jumped from 9.7 percent in October to 11.8 percent. That figure is more than double the November 2007 rate of 5.3 percent, when 2,890 people were out of work.
The city had the second-highest unemployment rate in the state at 14.4 percent, up from 11.7 in October and the November 2007 rate of 5.6 percent.
In Pittsylvania County, the rate was 10.1 percent, up from 8.4 in October and 5.2 percent in November 2007.
Bill Mezger, chief economist for the Virginia Employment Commission, said the increases in the Danville/Pittsylvania County area are a reflection of temporary furloughs in the manufacturing sector.
“Everybody has gone up in November because business conditions are sluggish,” Mezger said. “In Danville the last couple of months, manufacturers scheduled furloughs to curtail production until inventory could be sold off.”
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the city’s largest employer, is among the manufacturers implementing recent furloughs.
Martinsville continues to have the state’s highest unemployment rate, at 14.9 percent, with 794 people unemployed. That figure is up from 12.7 percent in October and 8.5 percent in November 2007.
Mezger said Martinsville’s situation is different than the Danville/Pittsylvania County area because its increased rate is not due to temporary furloughs.
“Martinsville had permanent layoffs, particularly in the furniture industry, earlier in the year, which is reflected in their rate,” he said.
Henry County’s jobless rate was 9.6 percent, compared to 8.5 percent in October. A year ago, the rate was 6 percent.
Halifax County also saw an increase in the jobless rate, moving to 7.9 percent from 7.2 percent in October. A year ago, the rate was 5.7 percent.
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Bush should have been removed from office long before now. We let him drive us into a hole that it will take a long time to get out of. So I say lets at the very least give Obama a chance instead all this hating cause candidates who wanted to continue to take us down the same road loss and some cant change wont change and dont want to change.Reminds me of Dan River who only wanted their plants in danville and was against the interstate when they was here and look where it got us. The good ole boys still in effect and now want us to turn on the president elect so people see thru this I know I do. By the way Goode would not have loss if he had stuck to his guns as a dem and not abandoned ship just to get on the rep side because they were running things and look where it got us and look where it got him. right where he needs to be at home cause he could not steal the election like the Bush he so wanted to be like. So impeach Obama I think not and you should too.
(reblyel) has done a great job of noting past mistakes. And, they are right, maybe we could have done a better job of turning our old mill buildings into tourist attractions. But what’s done is done—my challenge is where do we go from here? Will improvements to the southside’s transportation infrastructure be our silver bullet? How about we attract one of those new manufacturing plants from Toyota or Kia Motors? Is there money to be made at the airport—a cargo terminal or maintenance facility perhaps? Are these good suggestions or just pie in the sky? If you don’t like these ideas, what are yours?
What am I reading here, that the candidates indeed lied to get in office and that is OK?
And yes, congress may be a vital aspect to decisions being made, but evidently Obama didn’t think that would be a problem when he made the promises.
So now it appears that even the Obama supporters are starting early coming up with excuses why theie candidate of choice cannot fulfill his promises.
I will not make excuses for him or Perriello being both campaigns continually were built on how much better off we will be, the economy will be, the jobs will be, etc etc by just voting them in.
I say they were both so vocal and talked such a line during the campaign we indeed see what they do. After a couple of months impeach them both if we are not all wealthy, healthy, and all living peacefully together with no crime to need our guns for.
And just send me my $1000 so I can pay my utility bill Mr. Obama sir.
dumdum,
There is a very good reason for our city not having an interstate. Our city leaders. That’s right, when I95 was built, community leaders in Danville would not allow it. It would have brought the outside world into Danville. Our leaders chose to keep our citizens isolated by telling them an interstate would be a bad thing. Dan River may have lost it’s hold on the community if progress and new ideas were let in. Thus, our leaders did what they thought best for us all. They kept out progress. Looking at a map, you will see that the interstate heads straight for us, then doglegs east to Petersburg instead of following the straight path to us.
Our situation is over 100 years in the making, we cannot turn it around quickly, but we can all stand up and say to our leaders “enough” Remember, they work for us. We are where we are today because we have allowed them to make our decisions without accountability. It’s time to question authority and speak loudly about what we expect our leaders to do for us.
It’s time to hold them accountable.
One thing I think would help our area is a interstae highway. The cities that have a interstate have grown by leaps and bounds.
About 100 years ago, our city leaders convinced the citizens of Danville to put all it’s economic eggs in one basket..Dan River. We all witnessed what resulted from that. Our city leaders, once again, in 2007 decided that their decisions were best for the community without citizen input. We bribed companies to come here who are now realizing they have been duped and will leave as they are not seeing the market they were led to believe would exist here. Add that to our largest employer (Goodyear) giving furloughs, other companies are laying off and Danville Regional Medical Center which is now the city’s 2nd largest employer has eliminated many staff positions in the past year in addition to the hundreds of healthcare professionals who have left this area to seek employment or simply to escape our healthcare crisis. Historic landmarks have been destroyed. These buildings could have generated revenue for our city as tourist sites, but, a select few have different ideas and apparently are in the right pockets to make this happen.Over the last several years several developers have come in and been chased back out because here in Danville the “good ol’ boy” system is alive and well, killing everything else around us. Our town is dying a slow and painful death. The only possible way to affect change is to replace these “leaders” who place their own interests above that of the citizens. Lessons repeat themselves until they are learned.The “good “ol boy” system of leadership needs to change. Remind Council that they are elected to represent the citizens, not their own interests. As far as new ideas to tackle this old, old problem…our leaders are not open to new ideas, it threatens their positions. Anyone not associated with the “right group” is not welcome in the problem solving arena. We have already witnessed the vigor with which our leaders squash any idea that is not their own. They refuse to accept that heritage tourism could be a saving grace. They would rather burn it down, tear it down or implode it than to accept our history as a valuable asset. This city could do what many other thriving cities have done and profit from what we already have (at least what’s left of it)the millions of dollars brought to Danville through tourism would provide a financial base to expand in other areas. Our leaders would rather hide our history from the world and deprive us of the economic benefits of tourism.
Without good schools, good healthcare and economic stability, how do our leaders expecct to recruit anyone here.
We, the citizens of Danville have many ideas, some very good ones, but our community leaders apparently have no interest in our input. So, in a nutshell, new ideas are not welcome here.
AMEN!!!!
My solution is start at the local government and clean house all the way to the top! Obama has not been sworn in yet.Give him a chance. He can’t do anything but what Congress and the Senate will let him. All the people running for any office make promises that they know they can’t keep, so what’s new?
Okay, everyone’s done a great job of venting. But, does anyone have any real solutions they’d like to offer?
Obama made promises like all the other polititians who ran for offices elected or not and he can only keep those that congress let him he can sign a bill to give us a 1000 but if congress says no take this 500 you will get 500. so lets not lay the blame again on Obama he has not even been sworn in and the haters are all ready saying i told you so, we are doomed and baseless opinions.
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