Youngkin unveils plan to help federal workers with "next chapter"
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Gov. Youngkin on Monday announced a "resource package" for Virginia federal employees who've lost their jobs due to the Trump administration's ongoing workforce cuts.
Why it matters: Virginia has around 145,000 federal workers, the third-highest share in the nation.
- That includes nearly 30,000 federal employees in Richmond.
Zoom in: The cornerstone of the aid is a new state website called "Virginia Has Jobs," where Youngkin said people looking "for that next chapter" should find one of the 250,000 open jobs in the state.
The site is essentially a list of the "major" private and public employers by region — although not a comprehensive one.
- Capital One, RVA's largest private employer and host of Monday's presser, wasn't listed as a major employer for Richmond or NoVA.
- The city of Richmond, however, was listed as a major employer, despite the temporary hiring freeze Mayor Avula announced this month.
- So were local school districts, the Department of Corrections, the Virginia State Police, the large health systems and one Pennsylvania-based technology company that has no open jobs, per its website.
Between the lines: The website largely just encourages job seekers to search LinkedIn or Indeed for posted jobs.
Meanwhile, the state's broader resource page for fired federal workers largely touts existing resources for unemployed Virginians, like how to file for health insurance and unemployment benefits, which still caps out at $378 a week.
- The resource page does offer tips aimed at longtime federal workers for updating a résumé, and invites these workers to consider attending community college to "upskill."
What they're saying: "I actually have extraordinary empathy for the fact that there are many workers in Virginia today from our federal workforce who are experiencing real concerns," Youngkin said Monday.
- He added that the Trump administration's mass layoff "needs to happen."
What we're watching: Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said last week the state legislature will have a special session soon to discuss how the state can support Virginians affected by federal cuts.