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Continued Unemployment Claims Increase 23% in Alexandria

The number of continued claims for unemployment rose by 23% in Alexandria for the week ending April 25 over the previous week ending April 18.

There were 4,881 continued claims for unemployment benefits in Alexandria for week ending April 25, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. The new figure is an increase of 1,132 continued claims over the week ending April 18, when there was a total of 3,749 continued claims in the city.

There have been more than 8,300 total unemployment claims in the city since the first case was announced last month.

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The first positive case of COVID-19 in Alexandria was announced on March 11, and on March 14 there were 33 claims filed. By March 21 there were 797 jobless claims, followed by 1,683 claims on March 28, and 2,578 claims on April 4.

Statewide, for the week ending April 25 there were 72,488 jobless claims, a decrease of 10,241 claimants from the week before.

“Though the 12.4% decline indicates that the volume of initial claims has retreated from its recent peak, it may not return to pre-pandemic levels for some time,” noted VEC.

Learn more about filing a weekly or continued claim here.

Staff photo by James Cullum

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.