First-time unemployment claims in Henrico drop to pandemic low
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First-time unemployment claims in Henrico County during the week of Oct. 10-16 fell to the lowest level during the pandemic, according Virginia Employment Commission data.
Just 44 people in the county filed initial claims during the week, a dramatic drop from the 203 who had filed such claims the previous week. The previous pandemic-low in Henrico during a single week was 67 during the week of Sept. 5-11.
Statewide totals similarly reflected much lower totals than the week before. Overall, Henrico reported the eighth-highest total of new filers; it’s the sixth-largest locality in Virginia. Richmond had the most, with 99.
Continuing claims in Henrico rose, however (from 1,282 to 1,712) as they did in most other localities. Henrico has the seventh-highest total of continuing claimants, while Richmond (with nearly 3,400) has the most.
More than half of new claims that had a self-reported industry were in the health care and social assistance, retail trade, accommodation and food services, as well as the administrative and waste services industries, according to the VEC.
The continuing claims total is primarily composed of recent initial claimants who continued to file for unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
