Virginia Works announced that the 2,895 unemployment insurance weekly initial claims filed during the week ending January 17, 2026, is 41.1 percent lower than last week’s 4,915 claims and 1.3 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (2,858). Nearly 80 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 (360); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (278); Retail Trade (245); Construction (242); and Health Care and Social Assistance (232).
Continued weeks claims (21,687) were 9.5 percent higher than last week (19,804) and were 26.4 percent higher than the comparable week of last year (17,161). Nearly 91 percent of claimants self-reported an employer which correlates to an associated industry. Based on this reporting, the top five industries (60 percent) were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,077); Administrative and Support and Waste Management (2,412); Manufacturing (2,366); Health Care and Social Assistance (1,559); and Construction (1,461).
A person who has already filed an initial claim and who has experienced a week of unemployment files a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. On a weekly basis, continued claims reflect a good approximation of the current number of insured unemployed workers filing for UI benefits, and are a good indicator of labor market conditions. While continued claims are not a leading indicator, they provide confirming evidence of the direction of the economy.
