Initial unemployment claims in Henrico, state drop after suspected fraudulent filings last week

Initial unemployment claims in Henrico County returned to lower levels during the most recent reporting week, following a statewide trend a week after a major spike that Virginia Employment Commission officials attributed in part to suspected fraudulent claims.

A total of 275 people filed first-time claims in Henrico during the week of April 25-May 1, down from the 657 first-time claims filed in the county the week before.

Statewide, the number of first-time claims dropped by more than 25,000 – from just nearly 37,500 during the week that ended April 24 to just more than 12,200 during the most recent week.

Henrico’s reported initial claims during the most recent week is relatively in line with the numbers witnessed by the county for the past few months, with a few outliers on both ends of the spectrum.

The number of Henrico residents who filed continuing claims remained almost identical, dropping by just 7 to 1,832.

Henrico, the seventh-largest Virginia locality, was tenth among localities in total number of initial claims filed during the most recent week. It has the seventh-highest total of continuing claimants.