March shows a big jump in Virginia unemployment claims
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First-time unemployment claims filed by Virginians surged in the first full week of March, according to the latest stats from Virginia Works.
Why it matters: It could be the first data-driven look at the impact of the Trump administration's federal spending and workforce cuts on local jobs.
By the numbers: There were 4,036 initial unemployment insurance claims filed for the week ending March 8, the most recent week available, according to a news release from Virginia Works.
- That's 40% higher than the 2,881 first-time claims filed the previous week and 81 % more than the 2,229 filed for the same week in 2024.
Zoom in: A full picture of which industries were affected wasn't available. Less than 66% of claims included a self-reported industry.
- Of those that did, 619 of the filers said they worked in manufacturing and 509 in professional services, the two highest job categories.
Between the lines: Virginia's latest unemployment numbers include the 566 claims filed for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) in Virginia, the release notes.
- Each state administers UCFE for laid-off federal workers and some federal contractors, but it doesn't cover workers whose jobs could be lost through federal funding.
Yes, but: UCFE benefits apply to the state in which the employee worked, not where they lived, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
- So a federal worker who lives in Virginia but works at an agency based in D.C. or Maryland would apply for benefits there, not in-state.
Zoom out: Nationwide, there were 220,000 new unemployment claims for the first full week of March, a 2,000 filing drop from the previous week, WTOP reported.
- That same week, 1,580 federal workers filed for benefits nationwide, a number four times higher than the previous year, per MarketWatch.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say that the state's workforce development agency, Virginia Works, (not the Virginia Employment Commission) sent the latest unemployment numbers, and that 566 federal employee claims were included in the report.