Whatever the cause of Virginia’s sputtering job-creation performance, the problem can’t be blamed entirely upon sequestration. Bureau of Labor Statistics data accessible on Governing magazine’s website displays job growth between July 2012 and July 2013:
The Washington metro area, the perennial leader in job creation, did fall to the middle of the pack — 164th strongest growth among the 397 metro areas tracked — a dismal performance (by Washington standards) that can be explained by sequestration and budget brinksmanship. But Hampton Roads, whose economy is also highly dependent upon federal spending, showed stronger-than-usual job creation, logging in at 49th nationally.
The job-creation record was grim in the Richmond, Lynchburg and Charlotteville metros. Indeed, Charlottesville managed to lose 2.6% of its jobs, the third worst performance of any metro in the country. What on earth is going on there? Do people in Charlottesville know they are in a recession? Could it be a trick of the data?
Small metros Winchester (number one in the country!) and Blacksburg-Christiansburg (number 27) were bright spots. It’s nice to see some dynamism outside the Golden Crescent. — JAB
