Richmond has more jobs available now than it did before the pandemic, but the types of job openings have changed considerably since 2020.

Why it matters: Job posting data shows there are not enough "knowledge worker" roles in Richmond, or in Northern Virginia, to support the estimated flood of fired federal workers who could soon be looking for a job, Indeed.com's economist tells Axios.

The big picture: Last week, the Trump administration told federal agencies to prepare for a "significant reduction" in full-time positions in the coming weeks, on top of the thousands of federal workers already fired, Axios' Emily Peck reports.

By the numbers: Richmond has about 20% more job postings today than it did before the pandemic, Cory Stahle, an economist with Indeed.com's Hiring Lab data center, tells Axios.

• That's a better pandemic jobs recovery than the U.S. as a whole, which has about 10% more job openings today than it did in February 2020, per Indeed's data.

Yes, but: In Richmond, and much of the U.S., job postings for tech and "knowledge workers" have been lagging while openings for entry-level, food, restaurant and retail employment are "thriving," Stahle says.

• Knowledge worker jobs are usually white-collar, critical thinking skills roles.
• These are likely the ones that laid-off federal workers will be seeking because that's what around 92% of federal workers currently do, according to the Pew Research Center.

Zoom in: Richmond's top 5 job postings by category are ...

• Installation & Maintenance
• Food Preparation & Service
• Retail
• Management roles
• Nursing

Zoom out: Virginia's overall job market has softened slightly since last year, but there are still roughly 250,000 open positions right now, Virginia Secretary of Labor G. 'Bryan' Slater tells Axios.

• That includes 33,000 computer and math postings and 28,000 in health care.

The bottom line: The pool of open jobs is flat or shrinking, while the pool of people looking for a job is increasing ... and expected to keep on rising.

Keep reading for the (lack of) jobs in NoVa

The head of Richmond's water plant told the former Department of Public Utilities director by 10am on Jan. 6 that the city's water might run out and a boil water advisory should be considered, per a new report.

Why it matters: It took Richmond officials over six hours after that to tell residents anything.

Driving the news: The finding is outlined in a 30-page draft report released yesterday from HNTB, the third-party firm Richmond hired to investigate the crisis.

• The report slams the communication delays that surrounding counties and residents have been condemning Richmond for since hundreds of thousands of residents were left without running water for days.

What they're saying: Mayor Avula maintained in a Monday press conference that he wasn't fully briefed until 1pm that the water would likely run out.

• "If we had gotten some flow of information, we probably could've made a public announcement a little bit earlier," Avula said.
• But the mayor defended the city's communications to the counties, even though the latest report said Richmond did not contact Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover fast enough.

Keep reading for other major findings regarding equipment, staffing and how the plant apparently regularly floods

🏎️ The Chesterfield Economic Development Authority and Competitive Racing Investments LLC signed a 20-year lease-to-purchase agreement to bring car racing back to Southside Speedway. (BizSense)

• The purchase price is $5.9 million. A date for racing's return wasn't shared.

🚫 State lawmakers didn't hold a vote or hearing on more than 200 bills in this year's General Assembly session, the highest number in recent years. (Times-Dispatch)

😳 Gov. Youngkin's appointee to lead Virginia State Police was briefly suspended nearly 30 years ago for flipping his police cruiser into an oncoming car after drinking. (Times-Dispatch)

🤠 Country artist Brad Paisley, plus Steve Martin and Martin Short, and country band The Red Clay Strays will all play Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront this year. Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday. (News release)

The Federal Trade Commission has received reports nationwide of scammers trying to capitalize on immigrants' fears by impersonating immigration attorneys, border agents and immigration enforcement.

Why it matters: President Trump's promises to deport "millions and millions" of unauthorized immigrants have also heightened fear among immigrants here legally.

How it works: Scammers are contacting immigrants, telling them they're in danger of being deported and then encouraging them to send money to fix the issue.

• They're also targeting people with false claims of unpaid tolls, owed taxes or bank account issues.

Threat level: Government impersonation scams cost Americans consumers around $618 million in 2023, the latest available data.

• Virginians reported more than 18,600 imposter scams that same year, per the FTC.

Pro tip: Any type of fraud, including immigration scams, can be reported to the FTC.

Full story

Sabrina here. I swung by Richmond's newest coffee shop, Le Cache Dulcet, this weekend.

Why it matters: It's coffee in the front, vinyl records in the back.

The Arts District spot is ideal for non-morning people (open noon-7pm every day but Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and for oat milk lovers (it's oat milk-only).

• But the stars of the show truly are the records, handpicked by owner Patrick Weaver himself and ranging from Roberta Flack and Curtis Mayfield to Queen.
• There are about a thousand more in the basement.

The bottom line: Come for the lattes made with Brazilian espresso and stay for the records and conversations with Patrick.