Initial unemployment claims by Zip code for the week ending April 3, 2021. Courtesy VEC
The number of initial unemployment claims filed during the week ending April 3 was 81% lower than the same period a year ago, when the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic saw unemployment filings near peak levels. The number of new filers last week increased slightly from the previous week.
The Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday that 28,526 people filed initial claims last week, an increase of 282 from the previous week. Continued claims totaled 57,344, a 0.5% decrease from the previous week and 75,840 lower than the 133,184 continued claims a year ago. People receiving unemployment benefits through the VEC must file weekly unemployment claims in order to continue receiving benefits.
More than half of the claimants who filed for benefits last week (and the prior four weeks) reported being in the accommodation/food service, administrative and waste services, retail trade and health care and social assistance industries, according to the VEC.
