Sign In
Free Newsletter
Va. economic outlook is positive, says Weldon Cooper Center forecast
Virginia’s long-term economic outlook is positive, according to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service’s inaugural economic forecast released Monday. Weldon Cooper economists predict Virginia’s gross domestic product in 2025 will increase 2.4%, outpacing national GDP growth. The U.S. GDP’s growth is expected to be 1.9% this year, slower than the 2.5% [&helli[...]
Va. labor market stayed strong in February
Virginia’s labor market remained strong in February, although growth is slowing, according to employment data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Virginia had a net gain of 3,200 jobs in February. The Virginia state government employment was previously 12,000 jobs below the February 2020 level, but the state government nearly halved that deficit last […]
Economic growth to continue slowing, ODU experts say
The U.S. economy will continue to slow in the second half of 2022 and a recession is increasingly likely, according to the Old Dominion University’s Dragas Center for Economy Analysis and Policy’s mid-year economic forecast released Friday. Increases in inflation are expected to slow as well but harden, leaving costs elevated, report Robert McNab and […]
Va. AG hiring staff to target unemployment fraud
Virginia’s attorney general on Thursday announced he has signed an agreement with the Virginia Employment Commission to hire more staff dedicated to investigating and prosecuting fraudulent unemployment claims, a problem that has cost the state more than $100 million since 2020, a report estimates. According to Attorney General Jason Miyares’ spokeswoman, Victoria LaCivita, his office [...]
VEC reduces backlog by 89%
The Virginia Employment Commission has decreased its backlog by nearly 89%, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Monday. The VEC reduced the backlog of employment separation reports from 246,273 to 27,728 and unpaid pending claims from 24,887 to 15,846 claims. “Virginians deserve an unemployment insurance system that is responsive, efficient and customer focused,” Youngkin said in a […]
GOP lawmakers push to protect workers who decline COVID vaccines
RICHMOND, Va. – Lawmakers narrowly passed a bill this month that would allow people fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine to receive unemployment benefits if no other misconduct took place. The measure advanced from the House of Delegates on a 51-48 party line vote and was assigned to a Senate committee on Feb. 10. The […]
New Va. jobless claims inch up
Virginia’s new unemployment claims rose just slightly for the week ending Jan. 29, the Virginia Unemployment Commission reported Thursday. Virginians filed 2,157 claims for the last week of January, an increase of 217 initial claims from the previous week. Continued claims totaled 7,439, a decrease of 104 claims from the previous week and 89% lower […]
New Va. unemployment claims down 32%
Virginia’s new unemployment claims declined by almost 32%, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending Jan. 22, Virginians filed 1,940 initial claims, down 909 from the previous week. Continued claims totaled 7,543, an increase of 484 claims from the week before. Compared to the same week last year, initial claims were […]
Va. new unemployment claims up 16%
New unemployment claims in Virginia increased 16% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending Jan. 15, Virginians filed 2,849 initial claims, an increase of 406 from the week before. Continued claims totaled 7,059, down 1,131 from the previous week. Compared to the same week last year, initials claims were […]
Va. new unemployment claims up 35%
Virginia’s new unemployment claims increased by 34.9% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending Jan. 8, Virginians filed 2,446 initial claims, an increase of 633 from the week before. Continued claims totaled 7,895, down 3,367 from the previous week. Compared to last year, increased claims were almost 92% lower […]
Va. new unemployment claims up 51%
Virginia’s new unemployment claims increased by almost 51% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending Jan. 1, Virginians filed 1,813 new claims, an increase of 609 from the previous week. Continued claims totaled 11,262, an increase of 6,358 claims from the week before. Compared to last year, initial claims […]
Va. had fewer job openings in October
Virginia had 308,000 job openings in October, the largest drop in openings among U.S. states, as well as 108,000 quits, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data released Dec. 17. In September, Virginia had a record-setting 336,000 job openings, but in October, openings declined by 28,000, […]
