Table of Contents
Henrico’s first-time unemployment filings during the week ending Aug. 1 dropped to a level not seen since before the pandemic began in mid-March, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
A total of 666 Henrico residents filed for unemployment during the week – a decrease of nearly half from the 1,281 who did so the previous week and the lowest total since 79 filed first-time claims in early March, according to VEC records. The previous weekly low during the pandemic was 718 during the week of June 14-20.
The county’s totals last week generally reflected a statewide trend; Virginia’s total of first-time filers fell by 44% from the previous week.
In total, Henrico has witnessed nearly 38,000 people file initial unemployment claims during the pandemic, but only about 13,200 are still filing continuing claims, according to the VEC. That suggests that many who have filed are now back at work.
The county’s unemployment rate reached about 12% at its peak during the pandemic.
Henrico had the ninth-highest total of first-time filers during the most recent reporting week and overall has had the eighth-highest amount since the pandemic began – 68 behind Chesterfield, which ranks seventh.
