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Tag: unemployment

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 week. 

Last week, 99,711 Virginians remained unemployed, a 21.9% decrease from the previous week, but 82,426 higher than the 17,285 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

“This was the largest percentage drop since the May 16 filing week peak and indicated an acceleration of its recent declining trend,” according to the VEC. “The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Oct. 31:

  • Fairfax County, 638
  • Prince William County, 577
  • Virginia Beach, 548
  • Richmond, 513
  • Norfolk, 499
  • Chesterfield County, 285
  • Henrico County, 251
  • Newport News, 239
  • Chesapeake, 203
  • Portsmouth, 201

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 751,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 205,625 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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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 by 1.3%, however.

Last week, 127,621 Virginians remained unemployed. This is still 110,732 higher than the 16,889 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

“Although a deceleration, this drop indicated a continuation of its recent declining trend,” according to a VEC statement issued Thursday. “The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Oct. 24:

  • Richmond, 764
  • Fairfax County, 728
  • Virginia Beach, 662
  • Prince William County, 659
  • Norfolk, 608
  • Newport News, 330
  • Henrico County, 297
  • Chesterfield County, 294
  • Loudoun County, 235
  • Portsmouth, 228

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 751,000, a decrease of 40,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 198,733 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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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 Oct. 17 was more than five times the number filed during the same week last year. Continued claims dropped by 9.1%, however.

Last week, 129,300 Virginians remained unemployed. This is still 112,532 higher than the 16,768 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

“This drop indicated a continuation of its recent declining trend,” according to the VEC. “The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Oct. 17:

  • Prince William County, 957
  • Richmond, 749
  • Fairfax County, 715
  • Virginia Beach, 702
  • Norfolk, 491
  • Chesterfield County, 308
  • Henrico County, 269
  • Newport News, 262
  • Chesapeake, 238
  • Loudoun County, 219

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 787,000, a decrease of 55,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 186,748 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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Va. saw jobs recovery drop in September

After recovering a total of 68,000 jobs in August, Virginia saw its labor force fall by 71,954, or 1.7%, in September, according to employment statistics released Tuesday by the Virginia Employment Commission. Between September 2019 and September 2020, the VEC estimates that Virginia has lost 207,100 jobs a 5.1% decrease.

The commonwealth also saw a slight increase in its adjusted unemployment rate by 0.1% in September to 6.2%, which is 3.5 percentage points higher than the rate from the same time period last year. The unemployment rate, however, continues to be below the national rate, which fell to 7.9%, according to the VEC.

The largest monthly job gains during September were in leisure and hospitality and business services, which both added 5,400 jobs. Other sectors that saw increases included trade and transportation (adding 3,500 jobs), manufacturing (adding 2,700 jobs) and finance (adding 1,600 jobs), among other industries. 

Government employment was the only major industry sector that reported jobs lost. The industry reported a job loss of 10,300 in local government jobs, but the state government also lost 2,000 jobs. The federal government added 700 jobs in the commonwealth during September.

Despite some job recovery, 10 out of the 11 major industry divisions in Virginia reported declines compared to last year. Leisure and hospitality was down by 76,400 jobs, compared to September 2019, while education and health sciences were down by 38,500 jobs. Government, professional and business services, manufacturing, finance and trade also reported major losses. Construction is the only industry that has up by 3,800 jobs compared to the same period in 2019.

Regionally, the largest job increases during September happened in Northern Virginia, which added 8,100 jobs during September. The Richmond, Eastern Virginia, Roanoke and Winchester regions also reported job gains, while job losses were reported in the Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro areas.

 

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Va. saw initial jobless claims drop again last week

Virginia continued to see a small decline in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, and the number of continued claims filed during the week ending Oct. 10 was nearly two thirds lower than its May 16 peak.

For the week ending Oct. 10, 9,110 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, a decrease of 1,733 from the previous week, continuing the overall trend of lower claims volumes seen in recent months following April’s peak, according to the VEC.

Last week, 142,220 Virginians remained unemployed. This is an 11.5% decrease from the previous week, but 125,354 higher than the 16,866 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

“This drop indicated an acceleration of its recent declining trend,” according to the VEC. “The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Oct. 10:

  • Fairfax County, 616
  • Prince William County, 582
  • Virginia Beach, 494
  • Richmond, 456
  • Norfolk, 360
  • Chesterfield County, 235
  • Newport News, 192
  • Henrico County, 191
  • Loudoun County, 178
  • Portsmouth, 177

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 898,000, an increase of 53,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 201,677 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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Va. weekly initial jobless claims increase by 15%

The number of weekly initial jobless claims in Virginia increased by 15% last week, but the number of weekly continuing unemployment claims dropped by 7.5%, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday. 

For the week ending Oct. 3, 10,843 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, up from 9,377 the previous week. Last week, 160,764 Virginians filed continuing unemployment claims, a 7.5% decrease from the previous week. However, that was still nearly 10 times larger than the same period in 2019, when the VEC reported 16,840 continued unemployment claims. (People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.)

However, overall claim volumes are continuing a downward trend compared with April’s peak, according to the VEC.

“[Continued claims] have declined at a consistent pace since mid-August — around 6.9% a week,” according to the VEC. “The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Oct. 3:

  • Richmond, 667
  • Fairfax County, 642
  • Virginia Beach, 511
  • Prince William County, 492
  • Norfolk, 489
  • Henrico County, 258
  • Chesterfield County, 253
  • Portsmouth, 229
  • Loudoun, 223
  • Chesapeake, 215

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 840,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 188,106 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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Va. jobless claims drop slightly last week

Virginia saw a small decrease in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, but the number of initial claims filed from mid-March through the Sept. 26 filing week totaled 1.167 million, or 28.4% of pre-pandemic payroll employment.

For the week ending Sept. 26, 9,377 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, a decrease of 1,205 from the previous week, continuing the overall trend of lower claims volumes seen in recent months following April’s peak, according to the VEC.

Last week, 173,717 Virginians remained unemployed. This is a 7.7% decrease from the previous week, but 156,577 higher than the 17,140 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

“[Continued claims] have declined at a consistent pace since mid-August — around 6.8% a week,” according to the VEC. The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Sept. 26:

  • Fairfax County, 578
  • Virginia Beach, 467
  • Richmond, 407
  • Norfolk, 378
  • Prince William County, 347
  • Portsmouth, 262
  • Henrico County, 237
  • Chesterfield County, 215
  • Newport News, 210
  • Chesapeake, 209

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 837,000, a decrease of 36,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 172,968 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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Va. sees small increase in initial jobless claims last week

Virginia saw a marginal increase in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, but continued the trend of lower claims volumes seen in recent months following the peak in April.

For the week ending Sept. 19, 10,582 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, an increase of 482 from the previous week — but five times higher than the comparable week last year, according to the VEC. 

Last week, 188,195 Virginians remained unemployed. This is a 6.7% decrease from the previous week, but 170,944 higher than the 17,251 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

“[Continued claims] have declined at a consistent pace since mid-August — around 6.6% a week,” according to the VEC statement. “The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Sept. 19:

  • Fairfax County, 656
  • Virginia Beach, 521
  • Norfolk, 515
  • Richmond, 435
  • Prince William County, 434
  • Chesterfield County, 283
  • Henrico County, 278
  • Portsmouth, 271
  • Chesapeake, 254
  • Newport News, 240

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 870,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 175,394 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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Va. recovers 68K jobs in August

In August, Virginia employers recovered a total of 68,000 jobs (a 1.8% increase from July), but the commonwealth is still 212,600 jobs shy of where it was last year, according to employment statistics released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. 

“Despite the sizable increase in August, total employment remains way below the pre-pandemic level,” says Joe Mengedoth, a regional economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. “The total number of jobs that were lost in March and April were almost 440,000, and over the last four months, a total of 188,000 jobs were added back. That’s a recovery of about 43% of the jobs that were lost. So this shows that there’s still quite a ways to go.” Virginia tied with New Jersey and New York for having the largest increase in jobs between July and August, however, according to DOL statistics.

In terms of unemployment, the jobless rate in Virginia fell to 6.1% in August, which Mengedoth says reflects both a decline in the number of unemployed workers and an increase in the labor force. The peak unemployment rate in Virginia during the pandemic was 11.2% in April — but before the pandemic it was at only 2.6%.

The largest job increase occurred in Northern Virginia, which added 30,100 jobs in August, with Richmond having the second-highest increase adding 8,700 jobs. Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Newport News added 7,700 jobs, while Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford added 3,000, Harrisonburg added 1,500, Roanoke added 1,300, Charlottesville added 1,100, Lynchburg added 900 and Staunton/Waynesboro and Winchester added 200 jobs.

Nearly every major sector in Virginia added jobs in August, with the largest gain in the government sector, which added 40,800 jobs. More than 32,000 of those jobs are in local government. The next largest gain was in the sector including transportation, wholesale and retail, which added 10,500 jobs — most of which were in retail. Information services was the only unchanged industry at 66,300 total jobs. Mining declined by 100 jobs and manufacturing declined by 900 jobs in August.

While the hospitality and tourism industry saw an increase in jobs during the month by 6,300 jobs, it still remains the most depressed industry in the state, Mengedoth says, especially compared to its pre-pandemic level and its year-ago level.  “Overall, compared to last year, [the hospitality] industry is down 20.3%,” Mengedoth says.  The industry has lost about 83,000 jobs, according to data released by the Virginia Employment Commission. 

One industry, however, is actually ahead of its year-ago level — construction. 

“Construction was actually relatively unscathed by the pandemic,” says Mengedoth. “Employment did decline sharply in April … construction was considered an essential activity, so that industry really did bounce back quickly.” Construction is now running 2% ahead of where it was during the same time last year.

 

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Va. initial jobless claims slightly drop last week

Virginia saw a slight decrease in the number of initial jobless claims last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, but the number of ongoing claims has dropped to 50% from the May 16 filing week peak, when 403,557 Virginians filed for unemployment.

For the week ending Sept. 12, 10,100 Virginians filed initial claims for unemployment, a decrease of 1,035 from the previous week. And 201,616 people in Virginia remained unemployed last week. This is a 7.3% decrease from the previous week, but 183,773 higher than the 17,843 continued claims from the same period last year. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.

The regions of the state that have been most impacted continue to be Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. 

Below are the top 10 localities, listed by number of initial unemployment claims, for the week ending Sept. 12:

  • Fairfax County, 607
  • Virginia Beach, 444
  • Norfolk, 467
  • Richmond, 430
  • Prince William County, 400
  • Chesterfield County, 264
  • Henrico County, 263
  • Newport News, 247
  • Portsmouth, 222
  • Loudoun County, 215

Nationwide, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for last week was 860,000, a decrease of 33,000 from the previous week’s revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. There were 173,134 initial claims during the same week last year.

 

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