Virginia unemployment claims down 87.9 percent from mid-May peak

Continued unemployment claims filed with the Virginia Employment Commission were down 7.8 percent for the Dec. 12 filing week.

The total – 48,791 – was down 5,785 from the filing week of Dec. 5, according to VEC.

This drop indicated a resumption of its recent declining trend, and is 87.9 percent lower than the May 16 filing week peak of 403,557.

Initial unemployment claims numbered 14,509, a decrease of 2,145 – 12.9 percent – from the filing week of Dec. 5.

For the filing week ending December 12, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 14,509.

The latest claims figure was a decrease of 2,145 claimants from the previous week.