Non-Farm Payroll Increases by 1200 in May – Virginia’s May Unemployment Rate at 3.4 percent – Labor Force Participation Rate at 65.2percent
RICHMOND— Virginia Works – the Commonwealth’s Department of Workforce Development and Advancement – announced today that Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in May increased by 0.1 percentage points to 3.4 percent, which is 0.6 percentage points above the rate from a year ago. According to household survey data in May, the labor force decreased by 11,531 to 4,568,075 as the number of unemployed residents increased by 3,929 to 155,918. The number of employed residents decreased by 15,460 to 4,412,157 according to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (“the household survey”). Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 0.8 percentage points below the national rate, which remained unchanged at 4.2 percent.
The Commonwealth’s labor force participation rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 65.2 percent in May. The labor force participation rate measures the proportion of the civilian population age 16 and older that is employed or actively looking for work.
In May’s Current Employment Statistics Survey, Virginia’s nonagricultural employment increased by 1,200 to 4,276,100. April’s preliminary estimate of employment, after revision, increased by 2,200 to 4,274,900. In May, private sector employment increased by 3,900 to 3,517,600 while government employment decreased by 2,700 to 758,500. Within that sector, federal government jobs decreased by 3,100 to 188,100, state government employment decreased by 400 to 160,500, and local government increased by 800 to 409,900 over the month.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment data is produced for eleven industry sectors. In May, five experienced over-the-month job gains, one remained unchanged, and five experienced a decline. The largest job gain occurred in Professional and Business Services (+3,500) to 811,500. The second largest job gain occurred in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+1,100) to 681,200. The third largest job gain occurred in Miscellaneous Services (+800) to 207,000. The other gains were in Leisure and Hospitality (+700) to 419,300 and Education and Health Services (+500) to 631,800.
The largest job loss occurred in Government (-2,700) to 758,500. The second largest job loss occurred in Construction (-1,900) to 226,800. The third largest job loss occurred in Information (-400) to 70,100. The other losses were in Manufacturing (-300) to 242,300 and Financial Activities (-100) to 220,500. Mining and Logging remained unchanged.
Nonfarm Employment in Virginia*Seasonally Adjusted
Industry
Employment
April 2025 to May 2025
May 2024 to May 2025
May 2025
April 2025
May 2024
Change
% Change
Change
% Change
Total Nonfarm
4,276,100
4,274,900
4,226,700
1,200
0.0%
49,400
1.2%
Total Private
3,517,600
3,513,700
3,475,900
3,900
0.1%
41,700
1.2%
Goods Producing
476,200
478,400
469,800
-2,200
-0.5%
6,400
1.4%
Mining and Logging
7,100
7,100
7,300
0
0.0%
-200
-2.7%
Construction
226,800
228,700
218,400
-1,900
-0.8%
8,400
3.8%
Manufacturing
242,300
242,600
244,100
-300
-0.1%
-1,800
-0.7%
Service-Providing
3,799,900
3,796,500
3,756,900
3,400
0.1%
43,000
1.1%
Private Service Providing
3,041,400
3,035,300
3,006,100
6,100
0.2%
35,300
1.2%
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
681,200
680,100
677,100
1,100
0.2%
4,100
0.6%
Information
70,100
70,500
70,200
-400
-0.6%
-100
-0.1%
Financial Activities
220,500
220,600
221,000
-100
-0.0%
-500
-0.2%
Professional and Business Services
811,500
808,000
812,800
3,500
0.4%
-1,300
-0.2%
Education and Health Services
631,800
631,300
604,200
500
0.1%
27,600
4.6%
Leisure and Hospitality
419,300
418,600
416,800
700
0.2%
2,500
0.6%
Miscellaneous Services
207,000
206,200
204,000
800
0.4%
3,000
1.5%
Government
758,500
761,200
750,800
-2,700
-0.4%
7,700
1.0%
Federal Government
188,100
191,200
193,000
-3,100
-1.6%
-4,900
-2.5%
State Government
160,500
160,900
157,800
-400
-0.2%
2,700
1.7%
Local Government
409,900
409,100
400,000
800
0.2%
9,900
2.5%
*Current month’s estimates are preliminary.
From May 2024 to May 2025, Virginia Works estimates that total nonfarm employment in Virginia increased by 49,400 to 4,276,100, private sector employment increased by 41,700 to 3,517,600, and government employment increased by 7,700 to 758,500 jobs. Within that sector, federal government jobs decreased by 4,900 to 188,100, state government employment increased by 2,700 to 160,500, and local government increased by 9,900 to 409,900 over the year.
For the eleven industry sectors in Virginia over the year, six experienced over-the-year job gains, and five experienced a decline. The largest job gain occurred in Education and Health Services (+27,600) to 631,800. The second largest job gain occurred in Construction (+8,400) to 226,800. The third largest job gain occurred in Government (+7,700) to 758,500. The other gains were in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+4,100) to 681,200; Miscellaneous Services (+3,000) to 207,000; and Leisure and Hospitality (+2,500) to 419,300.
The largest job loss occurred in Manufacturing (-1,800) to 242,300. The second largest job loss occurred in Professional and Business Services (-1,300) to 811,500. The third largest job loss occurred in Financial Activities (-500) to 220,500. The other losses were in Mining and Logging (-200) to 7,100 and Information (-100) to 70,100.
Nonfarm Employment in Virginia*Seasonally Adjusted
Area
Employment
April 2025 to May 2025
May 2024 to May 2025
May 2025
April 2025
May 2024
Change
% Change
Change
% Change
Virginia
4,276,100
4,274,900
4,226,700
1,200
0.0%
49,400
1.2%
Arlington-Alexandria MSA
1,636,800
1,635,400
1,616,700
1,400
0.1%
20,100
1.2%
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA
81,900
82,000
83,200
-100
-0.1%
-1,300
-1.6%
Charlottesville MSA
125,600
126,000
124,000
-400
-0.3%
1,600
1.3%
Harrisonburg MSA
70,700
70,400
71,800
300
0.4%
-1,100
-1.5%
Lynchburg MSA
105,000
104,900
104,200
100
0.1%
800
0.8%
Richmond MSA
730,500
727,900
718,200
2,600
0.4%
12,300
1.7%
Roanoke MSA
167,900
167,900
167,400
0
0.0%
500
0.3%
Staunton MSA
54,100
54,200
54,300
-100
-0.2%
-200
-0.4%
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk MSA
822,400
823,400
821,400
-1,000
-0.1%
1,000
0.1%
Winchester MSA
74,200
74,000
73,200
200
0.3%
1,000
1.4%
*Current month’s estimates are preliminary.
Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment data is produced for ten metropolitan areas. In May, five experienced over-the-month job gains, one remained unchanged, and four experienced a decline. The largest job gain occurred in Richmond (+2,600) to 730,500. The second largest job gain occurred in Arlington-Alexandria (+1,400) to 1,636,800. The third largest job gain occurred in Harrisonburg (+300) to 70,700. The other gains were in Winchester (+200) to 74,200 and Lynchburg (+100) to 105,000.
The largest job loss occurred in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk (-1,000) to 822,400. The second largest job loss occurred in Charlottesville (-400) to 125,600. The third largest job loss occurred in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford (-100) to 81,900. The other loss was in Staunton (-100) to 54,100. Roanoke remained unchanged.
Over the year, seven metro areas experienced over-the-year job gains, and three experienced a decline. The largest job gain occurred in Arlington-Alexandria (+20,100) to 1,636,800. The second largest job gain occurred in Richmond (+12,300) to 730,500. The third largest job gain occurred in Charlottesville (+1,600) to 125,600. The other gains were in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk (+1,000) to 822,400; Winchester (+1,000) to 74,200; Lynchburg (+800) to 105,000; and Roanoke (+500) to 167,900.
The largest job loss occurred in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford (-1,300) to 81,900. The second largest job loss occurred in Harrisonburg (-1,100) to 70,700. The third largest job loss occurred in Staunton (-200) to 54,100.
Not Seasonally Adjusted Data
Virginia’s unadjusted unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 3.5 percent in May, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than last year. Compared to a year ago, the number of unemployed increased by 32,162 to 160,999, household employment decreased by 76,739 to 4,381,271, and the labor force decreased by 44,577 to 4,542,270. Virginia’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 0.5 percentage points below the national unadjusted rate, which increased by 0.1 percentage points to 4.0 percent.
Compared to last month, the May unadjusted workweek for Virginia’s 156,100 manufacturing production workers increased by 0.1 to 38.7 hours. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production workers decreased by $0.33 to $28.30, and average weekly earnings decreased by $9.91 to $1,095.21.
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Technical note: Estimates of unemployment and industry employment levels are obtained from two separate monthly surveys. Resident employment and unemployment data are mainly derived from the Virginia portion of the national Current Population Survey (CPS), a household survey conducted each month by the U.S. Census Bureau under contract with BLS, which provides input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program (often referred to as the “household” survey). Industry employment data is mainly derived from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, a monthly survey of approximately 18,000 Virginia businesses conducted by BLS, which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data broken down by industry for the nation as a whole, all states and most major metropolitan areas (often referred to as the “establishment” survey). Both industry and household estimates are revised each month based on additional information from updated survey reports compiled by the BLS. For national figures and information on how COVID-19 affected collection of the BLS establishment and household surveys in April 2020, refer to the BLS May Employment Situation press release for details.
The statistical reference week for the household survey this month was the week of May 11-17, 2025
Virginia Works plans to release the May local area unemployment rates on Wednesday July 02, 2025. The data will be available on our website www.VirginiaWorks.com. The June 2025 statewide unemployment rate and employment data for both the state and metropolitan areas are scheduled to be released on Friday July 18, 2025.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports an increase in hiring as well as an increase in layoffs and discharges.
The number of hires in Virginia was 142,000 in April, up by 6,000 from March’s revised figure and 73 percent higher than the low set in April 2020. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In April, the number of U.S. hires was little changed at 5.6 million. In Virginia, the 3.3 percent hires rate was little changed over the month. The U.S. rate of hires nationwide was also little changed at 3.5 percent.
On the last business day in April, there were 199,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a decrease of 19,000 from March’s revised figure. Job openings fell by 21 percent from April 2024’s figure but remained comparable to pre-pandemic levels. Nationwide, the number of job openings was little changed at 7.4 million in April. The number of U.S. job openings decreased in accommodation and food services (-135,000) and in state and local government, education (-51,000). The number of U.S. job openings increased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+43,000) and in mining and logging (+10,000).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio rose to seven hires for every ten job openings, comparable to nationwide. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions. In April 2025, there were 0.8 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to one unemployed per job opening nationwide.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, April total job separations in Virginia increased by 25,000 to 152,000. BLS’s JOLTS data provide information on all the components that make up the net change in the number of jobs over a month, including job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (including retirements and worker deaths). Together, these components attempt to reveal the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
The Virginia job openings rate fell to 4.5 percent. Nationwide, the job openings rate, at 4.4 percent, changed little over the month.
Total job separations in Virginia increased by 25,000 to 152,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in April was little changed at 5.3 million. Total U.S. separations increased in federal government (+9,000). The Virginia total separations rate rebounded to March’s 3.6 percent. Nationwide, the rate of total separations in February was unchanged at 3.3 percent.
The quits rate in the Commonwealth was 1.8 percent. An estimated 78,000 workers quit jobs (‘quits’) from Virginia employers in March, a decrease of 11,000 over the month. Nationwide in April, the number of quits was little changed at 3.2 million. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was little changed at 2.0 percent. The April ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires and total separations rates) in Virginia rebounded by 0.7 of a percentage point from March’s revised 6.2 percent figure and was driven by an increase in layoffs and separations. It was equivalent to the U.S. churn rate of 6.8 percent, which was little changed over the month.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 65,000 in April, an increase of 31,000 from March’s revised estimate. This was up by half over the year and rose to its highest level in over a year. In April, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges was little changed at 1.8 million. U.S. layoffs and discharges increased in health care and social assistance (+52,000) but decreased in state and local government, excluding education (-14,000) and in federal government (-4,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate rose to 1.5 percent.
On the last business day of April, JOLTS data indicated a growing rate of job separations, driven by a rebound in layoffs from March’s low level. As a result, job quits fell back to 51 percent of total job separations.
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs. Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. *Excerpted from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Concepts,” https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/concepts.htm.
Virginia Works plans to release the May 2025 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday July 25, 2025. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the May JOLTS data for states on Wednesday July 23, 2025.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2025 data, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates will be benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm. Definitions of JOLTS terms*
RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 3,972 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending June 14, 2025, which is 19.1 percent higher than last week’s 3,335 claims and 70.8 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,325). Nearly 83 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (73 percent) were Manufacturing (1,209); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (427); Health Care and Social Assistance (270); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (227); and Accommodation and Food Services (218).
Continued weeks claims (20,128) were 2.7 percent higher than last week (19,596) and were 25.5 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (16,034). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (61 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,313); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,398); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,729); Retail Trade (1,489); and Manufacturing (1,399).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 2,827 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending May 31, 2025, which is 22.8 percent lower than last week’s 3,662 claims and 41.5 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (1,998). Nearly 81 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (67 percent) were Manufacturing (441); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (349); Accommodation and Food Services (254); Health Care and Social Assistance (206); and Administrative and Support and Waste Management (204).
Continued weeks claims (20,185) were 2.7 percent higher than last week (19,652) and were 26.8 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,923). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (63 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,193); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,339); Manufacturing (2,112); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,642); and Retail Trade (1,405).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 3,662 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending May 24, 2025, which is 34.9 percent higher than last week’s 2,715 claims and 77.3 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,066). Nearly 81 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (76 percent) were Manufacturing (1,153); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (382); Accommodation and Food Services (282); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (214); and Health Care and Social Assistance (209).
Continued weeks claims (19,652) were 0.6 percent lower than last week (19,765) and were 23.5 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,907). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (63 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,127); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,360); Manufacturing (1,819); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,626); and Retail Trade (1,410).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March 2025 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports a decrease in job layoffs and discharges.
On the last business day in March, there were 221,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 8,000 from February’s revised figure. Job openings fell by 13 percent from March 2024’s figure but are still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Nationwide, the number of job openings was little changed at 7.2 million in March but was down by 901,000 over the year. The number of U.S. job openings decreased in federal government (-36,000).
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, March total job separations in Virginia decreased by 28,000 to 127,000. BLS’s JOLTS data provide information on all the components that make up the net change in the number of jobs over a month, including job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (including retirements and worker deaths). Together, these components attempt to reveal the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
The Virginia job openings rate rose slightly to 4.9 percent. Nationwide, the job openings rate, at 4.3 percent, changed little over the month.
The number of hires in Virginia was 139,000 in March, unchanged from February’s revised figure. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. However, the number of hires was 70 percent higher than the low set in April 2020. In March, the number of U.S. hires was unchanged at 5.4 million. In Virginia, the 3.3 percent hires rate was unchanged over the month. In March, the U.S. rate of hires nationwide was unchanged at 3.4 percent.
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio was little changed at 6 hires for every 10 job openings, lower than nationwide. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions. In March 2025, there were 0.7 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to one unemployed per job opening nationwide.
Total job separations in Virginia decreased by 28,000 to 127,000. The number of total separations was twenty percent lower over the year. Nationwide, the number of total separations in March was unchanged at 5.1 million. Total separations increased in state and local government, excluding education (+28,000) but decreased in federal government (-8,000).
The Virginia total separations rate fell to three percent, a multi-year low rate. Nationwide, the rate of total separations in February was little changed at 3.2 percent.
An estimated 88,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in March. The number of job quits was 15 percent lower compared to March 2024. Nationwide in March, the number of quits was little changed at 3.3 million. U.S. quits decreased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-49,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was 2.1 percent. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was little changed at 2.1 percent. The February ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires and total separations rates) in Virginia fell by 0.6 of a percentage point from February’s revised 6.9 percent figure and was driven by a decrease in job separations. It was slower than the U.S. churn rate of 6.6 percent, which was little changed over the month.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 34,000 in March, 18,000 lower than February’s revised estimate. This was down 23 percent over the year and reached a multi-year low. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In March, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.6 million.Nationwide, Layoffs and discharges decreased in retail trade (-66,000) and in federal government (-11,000). Layoffs and discharges increased in state and local government, excluding education (+17,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate fell to 0.8 percent.
On the last business day of March, JOLTS data indicated slowing movement from job to job, driven by a drop in layoffs. As a result, job quits stood at nearly 70 percent of total job separations, which is often considered an indicator of a healthy labor market.
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation; quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. *Excerpted from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Concepts,” https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/concepts.htm.
Virginia Works plans to release the April 2025 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday June 18, 2025. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the March JOLTS data for states on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2025 data, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates will be benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm. Definitions of JOLTS terms*
RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 2,715 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending May 17, 2025, which is 32.0 percent lower than last week’s 3,992 claims and 22.1 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,224). Nearly 80 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (64 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (387); Accommodation and Food Services (342); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (237); Health Care and Social Assistance (194); and Retail Trade (188).
Continued weeks claims (19,765) were 8.9 percent higher than last week (18,144) and were 24.7 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,851). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (64 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,075); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,335); Manufacturing (2,100); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,627); and Retail Trade (1,427).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 3,992 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending May 10, 2025, which is 46.8 percent higher than last week’s 2,720 claims and 67.3 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,386). Nearly 78 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (74 percent) were Manufacturing (1,186); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (465); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (274); Health Care and Social Assistance (198); and Retail Trade (189).
Continued weeks claims (18,144) were 1.4 percent higher than last week (17,896) and were 14.5 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,847). Nearly 93 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (61 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (3,880); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,249); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,612); Retail Trade (1,420); and Manufacturing (1,159).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 2,720 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending May 03, 2025, which is 8.1 percent higher than last week’s 2,516 claims and 8.9 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,497). Nearly 83 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (62 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (515); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (275); Retail Trade (217); Health Care and Social Assistance (208); and Manufacturing (145).
Continued weeks claims (17,896) were 1.5 percent higher than last week (17,638) and were 15.1 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,546). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (61 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (3,748); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,225); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,579); Retail Trade (1,392); and Manufacturing (1,161).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
Initial Claims – Comparison of Unemployment Insurance Activity
Week Ending05/03/2025
Week Ending04/26/2025
Week Ending04/19/2025
Last Year05/04/2024
Initial Claims
2,720
2,516
2,384
2,497
Initial Change (%)
+204 (+8.1%)
+132 (+5.5%)
-886 (-27.1%)
+223 (+8.9%)
Continued Claims
17,896
17,638
17,457
15,546
Virginia Continued Weeks Claimed
A person who has already filed an initial claim and who has experienced a week of unemployment files a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. On a weekly basis, continued claims reflect a good approximation of the current number of insured unemployed workers filing for UI benefits, and are a good indicator of labor market conditions. While continued claims are not a leading indicator, they provide confirming evidence of the direction of the economy.
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
