The figure for seasonally unadjusted initial unemployment claims in Virginia during the Jan. 30 filing week was 18,177.
While still elevated compared to recent months’ trends, the latest claims figure was a decrease of 135 claimants from the previous week, according to a Thursday report from the Virginia Employment Commission.
Elevated levels in recent weeks may have, in part, reflected reapplications for benefits following the government’s renewal of supplemental benefits until March 14 as part of the latest stimulus package.
For the most recent filing week, continued weeks claimed totaled 67,337, which was a 0.1 percent increase from the previous week, but 45,074 higher than the 22,263 continued claims from the comparable week last year.
Over half of claims that had a self-reported industry were in the accommodation/food service, administrative and waste services, retail trade, and healthcare/social assistance industries. 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.