Virginia Works’ Economic Information and Analytics Division, which serves as the Commonwealth’s official source for labor market and workforce data, reported that 2,145 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims were filed during the week ending Sept. 5, 2026. The claims were filed with the Virginia Employment Commission, which administers the Commonwealth’s Unemployment Insurance program.
This is 1.6 percent higher than last week’s 2,112 claims and 17.1 percent lower than the comparable week of last year (2,589). Nearly 80 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (57 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (282); Health Care and Social Assistance (225); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (202); Retail Trade (179); and Manufacturing (124).
Continued weeks’ claims (19,605) were 1.7 percent lower than last week (19,951) and were 0.7 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (19,460). Nearly 93 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (59 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (3,610); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,344); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,981); Retail Trade (1,527); and Manufacturing (1,312).
