Virginia’s Latest Unemployment Insurance Continued Claims Down at 17,598; Weekly Initial Claims Up at 3,714

RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 3,714 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending April 05, 2025, which is 44.2 percent higher than last week’s 2,575 claims and 62.3 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,288).  A major portion of this increase was due to the Warn Notice from a single manufacturing employer in the southern part of the state. 

Nearly 79 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (71 percent) were Manufacturing (928); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (490); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (254); Health Care and Social Assistance (212); and Retail Trade (169).  

Continued weeks claims (17,598) were 0.2 percent lower than last week (17,625) and were 14.6 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,351). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (60 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (3,358); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,101); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,565); Retail Trade (1,413); and Manufacturing (1,276).

Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:

WARN Notices | Virginia Works

Announcements | Virginia Economic Development Partnership

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.