Alexandria’s initial unemployment claims jumped 178% for the week ending Jan. 9, and continued claims jumped 14%.

The Virginia Employment Commission reports that here were 836 initial (first time) claims in Alexandria for the week ending Jan. 9, a large increase over the previous week’s total of 131 claims. That week, which ended on Jan. 2, also saw a 129% increase over the previous week’s total.

Alexandria’s continued claims increased to 1,272, up from the previous week’s total of 1,119 continued claims.

The week ending Jan. 9 is the 43rd week since the COVID-19 crisis began in Virginia.

Statewide, there was a 1% jump in continued unemployment claims, from 63,588 claims to 63,687 claims. There was also a 45% jump in initial claims, from 19,530 to 28,227 claims. VEC stated that the increase in unemployment numbers is partially attributable to post-holiday layoffs.

Looking for work? The Alexandria Workforce Development Center hosts weekly workshops, and there are a number of job openings with the city.

According to VEC:

The locality with the most initial unemployment claims this week was Fairfax County which saw 1,620 initial filings. Norfolk City and Virginia Beach City followed with 1,538 and 1,272 initial claims respectively. Of the 133 counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth, 119 localities saw an increase in the number of filings this week compared to the week before. The locality with the largest increase was Fairfax County which had an additional 692 initial claims compared to the previous week.

Learn more about filing a weekly or continued claim here.