Virginia’s unemployment rate stays at 2.6% in November

Virginia’s unemployment rate remained at 2.6% in November, keeping it almost one percentage point lower than the national rate, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday.

The November unemployment rate was 0.2% lower than the rate from one year ago. In addition, the labor force expanded for the 17th month in a row by 13,326, or 0.3%, setting a record of 4.4 million people employed. Household employment also increased by 13,847 to set a new high of 4.3 million. 

“I am encouraged to see our unemployment rate remain low,” Northam said in a statement. “We need to invest in Virginia’s workforce to maintain this momentum. I look forward to working with legislators to pass a budget that makes historic investments in our community colleges, early childhood education system, and K-12 schools.”

Virginia has the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the Southeast and is ranked fourth in the U.S.

“From day one, the Governor made a strong commitment to make sure every Virginian has access to a good job, no matter where they live,” Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball said in a statement. “Every region of Virginia is experiencing a lower unemployment rate than a year ago, and we’re proud that our talented workforce is participating in our strong economy at such high rates.”

In November, Virginia’s over-the-year employment growth was 1%, making it lower than the national rate. The private sector added 47,400 jobs, but the public sector lost 7,300 jobs. Eight of the 11 major industries experienced gains as compared to November last year.