Initial unemployment claims in Henrico rise to 2-month high

The number of people who filed first-time unemployment claims in Henrico during the most recent reporting week was the highest it’s been in more than two months, according to data released Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission.

A total of 297 Henriocans filed initial claims during the week of Oct. 18-24 – up from 269 the previous week and the highest weekly total since 370 filed the week of Aug. 9-15.

The number of county residents who filed continuing unemployment claims during the most recent filing week also rose – for the first time since early August – from 4,976 to 5,161. Some who had been filing continuing claims earlier this fall likely returned to work, while others simply reached the end of their allotted filing time.

Data released earlier this week by the VEC and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that Henrico’s official unemployment rate dropped slightly from August to September – from 6.7% to 6.5% – resulting in a total of about 11,600 county residents who were looking for work but couldn’t find it.

But by late September, only about 6,100 people in the county were filing continuing unemployment claims.

Overall since the pandemic began, a total of 41,243 Henrico residents have filed initial unemployment claims, ranking the county eighth among localities statewide, less than 200 behind Chesterfield.

In related news, the VEC Friday warned state residents to be aware of a scam targeting people nationwide that seeks to gain access to their personal identifiable information for unemployment insurance.  Telephone calls and phony e-mails allege that they're coming from the VEC or U.S. Department of Labor and ask customers to click on links in the e-mail or to press a button to talk with a representative to answer questions on the phone.

If you receive such correspondence, report it at https://www.identitytheft.gov/?utm_source=takeaction. The VEC also suggests filing a police report with your local police department.