News

Alexandria’s initial and continued unemployment claims just jumped by double percentage points

By James Cullum

Initial (first time) and continued unemployment rose sharply for the week ending March 6.

Initial claims jumped 61%, with 440 claims over the 274 claims from the previous week. That’s the most initial claims since the week ending Jan. 30, which saw 479 initial claims.

Continued claims rose 12%, with 1,529 claims over the 1,365 claims from the previous week. That’s the highest number of continued claims so far in 2021.

The week ending March 6 is the 51st since the pandemic began in Virginia. Statewide, initial claims in Virginia rose 13% to 13,736 claims, and continued claims fell 3% to 62,269 claims.

According to VEC:

The week of February 28th – March 6th marks the 51st week since the COVID-19 crisis began in the Commonwealth. There were 13,736 initial unemployment benefit claims this week, a 13.0% increase compared to the week prior. This is the second consecutive week of increasing initial claims, although claims numbers have been on a downward trend since the last peak in the week ending January 9th, 2021.”

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

Learn more about filing a weekly or continued claim here.

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.