RICHMOND— Virginia Works announced today that 3,662 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending May 24, 2025, which is 34.9 percent higher than last week’s 2,715 claims and 77.3 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,066). Nearly 81 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (76 percent) were Manufacturing (1,153); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (382); Accommodation and Food Services (282); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (214); and Health Care and Social Assistance (209).
Continued weeks claims (19,652) were 0.6 percent lower than last week (19,765) and were 23.5 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (15,907). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an associated industry; of those reported, the top five industries (63 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,127); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,360); Manufacturing (1,819); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,626); and Retail Trade (1,410).
Significant Layoffs and Announcements are available at the following websites:
Announcements | Virginia Economic Development Partnership
| Initial Claims – Comparison of Unemployment Insurance Activity | ||||
| Week Ending 05/24/2025 | Week Ending 05/17/2025 | Week Ending 05/10/2025 | Last Year 05/25/2024 | |
| Initial Claims | 3,662 | 2,715 | 3,992 | 2,066 |
| Initial Change (%) | +947 (+34.9%) | -1,277 (-32.0%) | +1,272 (+46.8%) | +1,596 (+77.3%) |
| Continued Claims | 19,652 | 19,765 | 18,144 | 15,907 |
Virginia Continued Weeks Claimed as a Percentage of Total Workforce
A person who has already filed an initial claim and who has experienced a week of unemployment files a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. On a weekly basis, continued claims reflect a good approximation of the current number of insured unemployed workers filing for UI benefits, and are a good indicator of labor market conditions. While continued claims are not a leading indicator, they provide confirming evidence of the direction of the economy.
The color-coded map below shows the distribution of this week’s continued claims in Virginia’s counties and cities, expressed as a percentage of each locality’s labor force. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison across areas by adjusting for differences in labor force size. Yellow represents a lower percentage of continued claims relative to the labor force, while progressively darker shades transitioning from yellow to green and dark green indicate higher percentages. The legend at the bottom shows the color spectrum and its corresponding percentage ranges.
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