Va. unemployment stayed steady in March

Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained above 5% in March, dropping just 0.1 percentage points below February’s jobless rate.

March’s 5.1% unemployment rate was 2.5 percentage points above March 2020’s rate. Virginia contends to trend lower than the nation, however. The U.S. unemployment rate for March was 6%.

“Virginia’s unemployment rate is steadily improving and we are making real progress in safely reopening our economy,” Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement. “While we have made great strides in our recovery, we know there is still more work to do. We will continue to focus our efforts bringing more Virginians into the workforce and supporting families, businesses and communities with the resources they need to build back stronger.”

The labor force increased by 1,618 to 4.23 million in March, with the number of unemployed Virginians decreasing by 5,051, according to data released Friday by the Virginia Employment Commission. The number of employed Virginians increased by 6,669 to 4.02 million.

The largest job gains occurred in the professional and business services sectors, followed by manufacturing, miscellaneous services, construction, mining and logging. The sectors with the largest job losses in March were trade, transportation and utilities, followed by leisure and hospitality services; information; finance; and education and health services.