Virginia’s Unemployment Claims Drop, But Continued Claims Keep Climbing

RICHMOND, VA (CVILLERIGHTNOW) – Fewer Virginians filed for unemployment last week, but the number of people continuing to claim benefits is still on the rise.

Virginia Works reported 2,473 initial unemployment claims for the week ending February 22, a 14.7% drop from the previous week’s 2,899. Even with that decline, claims are still 23.9% higher than this time last year, when 1,996 people filed. The majority of claimants who identified an industry worked in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (362), followed by Health Care and Social Assistance (183), Administrative and Support and Waste Management (179), Retail Trade (178), and Accommodation and Food Services (135).