While Youngkin celebrates Virginia’s labor force gains, economists warn of future unemployment
Gov. Glenn Youngkin says he feels good about the state’s employment landscape. In an announcement Tuesday, the governor celebrated that Virginia added 7,100 more jobs in January 2025, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). “More Virginians are working than ever in the commonwealth as jobs and opportunity continue to expand […]
Virginia saw 15,000 jobs created in June
Virginia reported 15,000 jobs created in June, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Friday. Overall, the commonwealth has seen 258,000 jobs created since January 2022, according to the news release from the governor’s office. “The jobs report is yet another good sign about the resiliency of the Virginia economy,” Bob McNab, an economist at Old Dominion University, […]
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. unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% in November
In November, Virginia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, 0.2 points below October’s rate, marking 18 straight months of declines, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. In November 2020, the jobless rate was 2.4 points higher than last month. The labor force increased by 2,706 to almost 4.26 million, and the number of unemployed residents decreased by 8,627 […]
Va. had record 328,000 job openings in September
Virginia had 328,000 job openings in September and 123,000 quits, 4,000 fewer quits than the April 2021 peak, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data released Nov. 19. The September job openings number set a record previously set in July, when there were 320,000 openings. The […]
Va. unemployment rate dropped to 3.6% in October
In October, Virginia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, 0.2 points below September’s rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The state’s unemployment rate has declined for 17 months straight. In October 2020, the jobless rate was at 5.3%, 2.5 points higher than last month. The labor force increased by 5,918 to almost 4.26 million, and the number […]
Va. unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in September
In September, Virginia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.8%, 0.2 points below August’s rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The state’s unemployment rate has declined for 16 months straight. In September 2020, the jobless rate was at 6.6%, 2.8 points higher than last month. The labor force decreased by 3,859 to 4.2 million, but the number […]
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, […]
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 […]
July jobless rate hits 4.2% in Va., a small decrease
In July, the state’s unemployment rate saw a small decline to 4.2%, 0.1 points below June’s rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. In July 2020, the jobless rate was at 7.9%, 3.7 points higher than last month. Virginia continued to see an expansion of the labor force, with 7,818 people starting jobs last month, totaling […]
Va. jobless claims continued to decrease last week
Virginia’s initial and continued unemployment claims continued to slightly decrease last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the filing week ending July 31, the state recorded 6,029 new jobless claims, down 149 from the previous week, while continued claims totaled 31,960, down 1,643 from the previous week. Compared to the same week last […]