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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, […]
Pittsylvania, Danville governments see labor gap, too
Businesses aren’t the only organizations finding it difficult to hire employees. Amid dropping state unemployment rates and a nationwide labor shortage, Danville and Pittsylvania County have been seeking new ways to interest people in working for local government. Pittsylvania’s Board of Supervisors approved $1,000 employee referral and sign-on bonuses in July, says Holly E. Stanfield,[...]
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 […]
AT&T and NOVA launch IT apprenticeship program
AT&T has created an IT apprenticeship program with Northern Virginia Community College and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, the company announced Tuesday. The two-year program will offer students information technology training and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training in technical, soft skills, lab work and related skills. They will earn five industry certifications in […]
VCU Health raises minimum wage to $15
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System is raising its minimum wage to $15 per hour in September, the Richmond-based health care system announced Tuesday. The roughly 1,700 employees and contract workers affected provide food and nutrition services, environmental services, valet services and other services to patients and the system’s operations. The group represents approximately 10%[...]
State program would incentivize new workers with up to $1,000
To combat Virginia’s tight labor market, the state plans to invest $3 million in a program to provide new employees of qualifying small businesses with up to $1,000 to support their transition back into the workforce, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday. The Virginia Return to Earn grant program will match up to $500 from eligible […]
Va. jobless claims up 173% from last week
For the April 13-17 filing week, 13,751 Virginians submitted initial unemployment claims, a 173% increase from the previous week, but an 83% decrease from this time a year ago when jobless claims were near a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week’s new claims rose by 8,717 compared to those from the week ending April 10, […]
Central Va. pharma hub strategic plan released
On Tuesday, the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering announced its strategy to turn Central Virginia into an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development hub. The strategic plan aims to foster business and job growth in the Richmond-Petersburg area while also expanding access to medicines. The creation of the plan was funded by a $100,000 […]
Va. unemployment stayed steady in March
Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained above 5% in March, dropping just 0.1 percentage points below February’s jobless rate. March’s 5.1% unemployment rate was 2.5 percentage points above March 2020’s rate. Virginia contends to trend lower than the nation, however. The U.S. unemployment rate for March was 6%. “Virginia’s unemployment rate is stead[...]
Va. new unemployment claims fall 466% from previous week
About 5,000 Virginians filed initial unemployment claims for the week ending April 10, a 95% decrease from this time a year ago when jobless claims were near their peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week’s 5,034 new claims were 466% lower than the previous week’s, when 28,526 people filed, according to the Virginia Employment Commission’s […]
Fed says Fifth District economy shows moderate growth
The economy has grown “moderately” in recent weeks, with strong production increases, employment rising and consumer spending up in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District, which includes Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland, according to the latest edition of the Fed’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. The Beige Book, which is published eight times [&hel[...]
Virginia expands Medicaid access for legal immigrants
RICHMOND, Va. — Ni Kin became a permanent resident in 2002 at 70 years old, but she was unable to work after moving from Myanmar to Virginia due to mobility problems. Kin required more medical attention related to her condition as she aged, but was unable to see a doctor because she didn’t have insurance, […]
