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Pandemic brings end to decade of job gains
The public health crisis brought an unanticipated end to 11 straight quarters of economic growth and nearly a decade of job gains in Virginia, according to Old Dominion University’s 2020 State of the Commonwealth Report, released on Dec. 20 by ODU’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. “The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected how […]
Va. unemployment rate fell less than 1% between October and November
Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by less than 1% between October and November to 4.9%, according to employment statistics released Friday by the Virginia Employment Commission — but unemployment still remains 2.2% higher than the same time last year. The labor force grew by 0.4% to 4.28 million between October and November, while the […]
14K+ Virginians filed initial jobless claims last week
The number of initial jobless claims filed last week reached close to its Aug. 8 peak, with more than 14,000 Virginians filing initial unemployment claims, according to Virginia Employment Commission data released Thursday. The week prior, initial claims reached more than 16,000. While there was a 12.9% decrease in claims from the previous week, the […]
Va. jobless claims fall to lowest level since March
The number of initial jobless claims filed last week fell to its lowest level since the pandemic’s employment effects began to be felt in mid-March, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. Initial jobless claims in Virginia dropped by 29.7% last week compared with the previous filing week, according to the VEC, while continued claims fell […]
Labor market continued slow recovery in early November
The labor market continued its slow recovery during the week of Nov. 8, according to Virginia Commonwealth University and Arizona State University economists. Early November saw 69.9% of working age adults employed, which is still far below the 73.8% employment rate from February right before the pandemic, according to the Real-Time Population Survey conducted by […]
Va. unemployment rate fell less than 1% between September and October
Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by less than 1% between September and October to 5.3%, according to employment statistics released Friday by the Virginia Employment Commission — but unemployment still remains 2.6% higher than the same time last year. The labor force fell by 0.4% to 4.27 million while the number of employed Virginians increased […]
Initial jobless claims rise as extended benefits come to an end
As the U.S. Department of Labor notified the Virginia Employment Commission that the state’s extended benefits program would end on Nov. 21, more than 11,000 Virginians filed initial jobless claims and more than 85,000 filed continued claims. Under the extended benefit program, Virginians who had already used regular unemployment insurance benefits as well as any […]
Initial jobless claims fell again last week
The number of initial jobless claims in Virginia dropped by 4.3% last week compared to the previous filing week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, while continued claims fell by 7.8%. For the week ending Nov. 7, 9,909 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, a decrease of 441 from the previous week. Last week, 91,960 […]
Construction industry recovered 84K jobs in October
While the pandemic surges on, the construction industry added 84,000 net new jobs in October, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced Friday. During the past six months, the industry has added 789,000 jobs, recovering 73% of jobs lost during the pandemic. “It’s hard not to stand up and applaud the U.S. economy’s ability to […]
Initial jobless claims dropped 16.2% last week
The number of initial jobless claims in Virginia dropped by 16.2% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, and the number of continued claims was three-quarters lower than its May 16 filing week peak. For the week ending Oct. 31, 10,350 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, a decrease of 2,002 from the previous […]
Initial jobless claims on the rise again
The number of initial jobless claims in Virginia rose by 8.7% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the week ending Oct. 24, 12,352 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, an increase of 987 from the previous week — rising to its highest level since mid-August, according to the VEC. Continued claims dropped […]
Va. initial jobless claims jumped nearly 25% last week
The number of initial jobless claims in Virginia rose by 24.75% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. For the week ending Oct. 17, 11,365 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, an increase of 2,255 from the previous week, according to the VEC. And the number of initial claims filed during the week ending […]
