New Virginia unemployment claims up sharply over past week

For the filing week ending March 5, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial unemployment claims in Virginia was 1,829, an increase of 411 claimants from the previous week.

Over half of initial claims that had a self-reported industry were in administrative and waste services, retail trade, professional, scientific, and technical services, and health care and social assistance. Eligibility for benefits is determined on a weekly basis, and so not all weekly claims filed result in a benefit payment. This is because the initial claims numbers represent claim applications; claims are then reviewed for eligibility and legitimacy.

For the most recent filing week, continued weeks claimed totaled 6,510, which was a decrease of 301 claims from the previous week and 90 percent lower than the 62,269 continued claims from the comparable week last year. The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.