Unemployment claims drastically increasing in VA

New unemployment claims are skyrocketing in Virginia. Virginia’s Department of Workforce Development and Advancement reported that in the first full week of March, 4,036 new unemployment claims were filed in Virginia, a 40% increase over the previous week and an 81% increase over the same time last year. 566 of those claims were from federal workers. Governor Youngkin said those numbers are not “skyrocketing”, but recognizes that some of the recently fired federal employees have filed for benefits. Youngkin added that his administration is working to help fired federal workers find new jobs in Virginia. Unemployment benefit rules say individuals must file for unemployment in the state in which they worked, not where they live. That means the exact number of Virginians who have filed for unemployment remains unclear because Virginians may have worked in and filed for unemployment in other jurisdictions including Washington D.C.