Initial unemployment claims hit six-month low

Initial unemployment claims filed with the Virginia Employment Commission dipped below the 10,000 mark for the first time since mid-March.

For the filing week ending Sept. 26, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 9,377. The latest claims figure was a decrease of 1,205 claimants from the previous week and continued the overall trend of lower claims volumes seen in recent months following April’s peak.

For the most recent filing week, continued weeks claimed totaled 173,717, which was a 7.7 percent decrease from the previous week, but 156,577 higher than the 17,140 continued claims from the comparable week last year.

Continued claims have declined at a consistent pace since mid-August—around 6.8 percent a week.