For Release:
January 6, 2022
Contact:
Timothy Aylor
Senior Economist
Economic Information & Analytics Division
timothy.aylor@vec.virginia.gov
(804) 786-3976

Virginia’s Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims for Week Ending January 1, 2022

~ Seasonally unadjusted weekly initial unemployment insurance claims increased from the previous filing week, remaining at near historic lows during that period ~

RICHMOND—The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) announced that the number of continued claims rose toward more typical levels during the most recent filing week.

For the filing week ending January 1st, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 1,813. The latest claims figure was an increase of 609 claimants from the previous week. Over half of initial claims that had a self-reported industry were in the construction, manufacturing, accommodation and food services, and administrative and waste services industries. Eligibility for benefits is determined on a weekly basis, and so not all weekly claims filed result in a benefit payment. This is because the initial claims numbers represent claim applications; claims are then reviewed for eligibility and legitimacy.

<>For the most recent filing week, continued weeks claimed totaled 11,262, which was an increase of 6,358 claims from the previous week and 82% lower than the 63,588 continued claims from the comparable week last year. The continued claims total is mainly comprised of those recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

For additional information on who is claiming unemployment insurance in Virginia, access the VEC’s U.I. claims data dashboard (https://www.vec.virginia.gov/ui-claims-dashboard) that is updated no later than the following Monday after the weekly claims press release.

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In the week ending January 1st, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 207,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 198,000 to 200,000. The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 315,469 in the week ending January 1, an increase of 57,599 (or 22.3 percent) from the previous week. There were 898,610 initial claims in the comparable week in 2021. Looking at preliminary data, more states reported increases on a seasonally unadjusted basis. New York’s preliminary weekly change   (+8,922) was the largest increase. Pennsylvania’s preliminary weekly change (+6,806) was the second largest increase. Connecticut’s preliminary weekly change (+5,992) was the third largest increase. Washington’s weekly change (+4,578) was the fourth largest increase. Virginia’s preliminary weekly change (+738) was the sixteenth largest increase.

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