Initial unemployment insurance claimants by county and city weeks ending Feb. 6 over Jan. 30 change. Green shows a decrease, yellow shows an increase of 1 to 10 claimants and red shows an increase of 11 to 24 claimants. Graphic courtesy Virginia Employmen
Initial jobless claims filed last week fell 19.8% from the previous week, according to figures released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission but continued claims slightly increased.
During the week ending Feb. 20, 11,944 Virginians filed initial unemployment claims, compared to 14,901 from the week prior.
Last week, 64,575 Virginians remained unemployed; that represents 42,082 more claims filed than the same period in 2020. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.
