(Updated 5 p.m.) Alexandria is recovering from the unemployment spike at the start of the pandemic, but that steadily slowed over the last month.
Data released from the Virginia Employment Commission shows that there were 409 claims from the week of June 13. Since the April 4 high of 2,578 claims, claims have steadily trended down, but initial declines of several-hundred claims per week has dwindled to a less than 50 claim difference between weeks.
Alexandria’s unemployment claims remain higher than neighboring Arlington, which has 333 claims last week.
The data does not account for jobs recovered in the second phase of reopening, which only started on June 12. Several local service industry jobs that faced layoffs during the pandemic have started rehiring since the latest employment claims were calculated.
A VEC press release celebrated statewide progress while noting that unemployment remained substantially higher than typical unemployment filings.
“For the filing week ending June 13, the figure for seasonally unadjusted initial claims in Virginia was 27,186,” the VEC said. “The latest claims figure was a decrease of 2,045 claimants from the previous week. The weekly total was the lowest since before the initial spike in unemployment insurance claims during the March 21 filing week.”
Chart by Vernon Miles
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Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
