Initial unemployment insurance claimants by county and city weeks ending Jan. 23 over Jan. 16 change. Green shows a decrease, yellow shows an increase of 1 to 10 claimants and red shows an increase of 11 to 50 claimants. Graphic courtesy Virginia Employme
Virginia saw a 13.1% drop in the number of initial jobless claims filed last week compared to the previous week, but unemployment remains high across the state, according to figures released by the Virginia Employment Commission on Thursday.
The week ending Jan. 23 saw 18,312 Virginians filing initial unemployment claims, a decrease of 2,761 claimants from the previous week, when 21,073 people filed new claims.
“Elevated levels in recent weeks may have, in part, reflected seasonal spikes in layoffs often seen after the holidays, as well as reapplications for benefits following the government’s renewal of supplemental benefits until March 14 as part of the latest stimulus package,” according to the VEC.
