Virginia Works’ Economic Information and Analytics Division, which serves as the Commonwealth’s official source for labor market and workforce data, reported that that 3,774 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed with the Virginia Employment Commission during the week ending April 11, 2026. This is 48.2 percent higher than last week’s 2,547 claims and 15.4 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (3,270).
Nearly 78 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (75 percent) were Manufacturing (1,196); Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (319); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (252); Health Care and Social Assistance (218); and Retail Trade (157).
Continued weeks’ claims (19,270) were 0.1 percent lower than last week (19,280) and were 4.4 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (18,459). Nearly 92 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (60 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (3,799); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,258); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,729); Retail Trade (1,443); and Manufacturing (1,343).
