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Va. new jobless claims increase slightly
Virginia’s new unemployment claims rose about 7% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, following a 300% surge two weeks ago and then declined to more normal levels last week. For the filing week ending Oct. 2, people filed 9,360 initial claims, an increase of 643 from the week before. Continued claims totaled 44,019, […]
NoVa biz leaders optimistic about recovery
Northern Virginia businesses are optimistic about economic recovery but are feeling the effects of labor shortages, according to the 2021 Northern Virginia Workforce Index released Wednesday by Northern Virginia Community College and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Fifty-one percent of employers said that they felt “somewhat optimistic” and 24% felt “very optimistic” abo[...]
Va. new jobless claims settle down after last week’s surge
After a 300% surge in new unemployment claims the previous week, the state saw numbers return to relatively normal levels in the filing week ending Sept. 25, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Last week, 8,717 people filed initial claims, a decrease of 7,245 from the week before. Continued claims, however, rose by 9,672 last […]
Governor: Staff shortages becoming dire in Va. hospitals
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said that hospital workers in the state are “losing their patience” and that medical facilities will not be able to handle all patients with COVID-19 or other ailments if hospitals are understaffed beyond where they are now. “They need our help,” he said Monday at a news conference. “It’s getting to […]
New jobless claims in Va. surge by 300%
After three weeks of declining unemployment claims statewide, the number of new claims shot up more than 300% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. At the same time, continued claims dropped by more than 3,000 for the filing week ending Sept. 18. The VEC said in Thursday’s report that the end of federal […]
Va. unemployment rate drops to 4% in August
In August, the state’s unemployment rate was at 4%, a 0.2-point decline below July’s rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The state’s unemployment rate has declined for 15 months straight, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, the state’s jobless rate was at 7%, 3 points higher than last month. Virginia continued to […]
Va. rolls out digital proof for vaccinations
The Virginia Department of Health has started adding scannable QR codes to COVID-19 vaccination records, digitizing the proof-of-vaccination process, the state announced Thursday. VDH said QR codes available now cannot be altered or forged, and health information is available from the codes only if and when a person chooses to share it. Businesses or organizations […]
Va. new jobless claims drop for third week in a row
Virginia’s new unemployment claims fell for the third week in a row last week, declining by 38%, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending Sept. 11, the state recorded 3,822 new jobless claims, down 2,357 from the previous week. Continued jobless claims also decreased, down 3,811 claims from the previous week […]
Caution ahead
This year was expected to be a rough one for employers, following predictions of a coming tidal wave of costly employee lawsuits and labor complaints powered by the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s racial justice protests. So far, though, that onslaught of litigation hasn’t materialized. Why not? Partly because the pandemic itself closed courts for […]
Valley Health tells workers to get vaccinated
Nicole Clark wants the nurses she supervises to do everything they can to keep themselves, their patients and co-workers safe from COVID-19. That means wearing personal protective equipment, social distancing, frequent hand washing — and getting vaccinated against the disease. Valley Health, a nonprofit health system that includes Winchester Medical Center and five other hospitals, […]
The Great American Labor Shortage
At Dough Boy’s Pizza, summer typically brings a steady stream of job applicants seeking work at one of the restaurant’s three locations on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. But “this year, it’s next to nothing,” says owner George Kotarides. For Kotarides and other restaurant owners, a season that had been anticipated as the triumphant closing act […]
More Va. health systems announce vaccine mandates
Major hospital systems in Hampton Roads and Central Virginia announced Wednesday that they will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In Hampton Roads, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Riverside Health System and Sentara Healthcare jointly announced the requirement and began notifying employees Wednesday morning tha[...]
