Virginia Works’ Economic Information and Analytics Division, the commonwealth’s official source for labor market and workforce data, reported 2,142 initial unemployment insurance claims filed during the week ending Sept. 12, 2026.
The claims were filed with the Virginia Employment Commission, which administers the commonwealth’s unemployment insurance program.
The 2,142 claims were 0.1% lower than the previous week’s 2,145 claims and 39.0% lower than the comparable week last year, when 3,509 claims were filed.
Nearly 76% of claimants self-reported an employer that could be associated with an industry. Based on that reporting, the top five industries were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (238); Health Care and Social Assistance (205); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (187); Retail Trade (148); and Accommodation and Food Services (104).
Continued weeks’ claims totaled 19,449, down 0.8% from 19,605 the previous week and up 0.3% from 19,390 during the comparable week last year.
Nearly 92% of claimants self-reported an employer that could be associated with an industry. Based on that reporting, the top five industries were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (3,544); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,317); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,986); Retail Trade (1,540); and Manufacturing (1,294).
