The unemployment rate in Virginia rose marginally by 0.2 percentage points to 2.9 percent in November 2023, still slightly lower when compared to the same period last year. The national unemployment rate inversely decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 3.7 percent. An upturn was noticed in Virginia’s labor force participation with an increase of 0.1 percentage points, bringing it to 66.9 percent. The nonagricultural employment increased by 6,200 in November, while October’s number saw an upward revision of 1,700 jobs. Employment in the private sector and government sector also showed growth, with an increase of 4,200 and 2,000 jobs respectively.

In the various industry sectors, eight witnessed an increase, one remained the same, and two experienced a decline. The largest job gain was observed in the Government sector, followed by the Leisure and hospitality and Education and Health Services sectors. However, the Professional and Business Services sector and the Mining and Logging saw a job decrease.

From November 2022 to November 2023, total nonfarm employment in Virginia rose by 64,100. Most industry sectors witnessed a job increase over the year, with Government being the highest. However, again, the Mining and Logging sector saw job losses.

Looking at the metropolitan regions of Virginia, five areas saw job growth, three remained unchanged, and two experienced a decrease in November 2023. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Charlottesville saw the most job additions. Winchester and Lynchburg were the cities with the highest job losses. In comparison to 2022, nine regions reported job growth, one remained unchanged, and none experienced a decrease. Again, Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Charlottesville saw the highest job growth.