See below for a press release from DPVA, and note that this situation is only going to get worse…and worse…and worse.
Unemployment Claims Spike in Northern Virginia as Youngkin and Sears Back Trump’s Attacks on Virginia’s Workforce
New reporting from Arlington Now details a surge in unemployment claims across Northern Virginia following Donald Trump’s attacks on Virginia’s workforce and economy that Glenn Youngkin and Winsome Earle-Sears have dismissed and laughed off.
The report also details how local officials want the Youngkin-Sears Administration to stand up to Trump’s attacks on Virginia workers. This comes after they defended and doubled down on their support for Trump’s threats to the livelihoods of thousands of Virginians.
ARL Now: Northern Va. unemployment claims jumped 7.1% in February, new data reveals
- “Unemployment claims in Northern Virginia rose 7.1% between January and February, new data shows — offering a first glimpse of the impacts of mass federal layoffs.”
- “A total of 53,394 people in the region were counted as unemployed and looking for work in February as sweeping job cuts began going into effect.”
- “That’s 3,561 more people than the month before. It’s also an 18.6% increase from that time a year ago, according to preliminary figures that the Bureau of Labor Statistics released yesterday.”
- “Federal workforce cuts and questions about the broader economy ‘are going to be long-term, fundamental and challenging,’ said Mark Carrier, board chair of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce.”
- “‘Hotel revenues in our region are starting to feel the impact,’ he said. ‘We’re highly sensitive to demand change.’”
- “Shawn Townsend, president/CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, said the hospitality picture is grim.”
- “‘I haven’t seen so much doom and gloom [before],’ he said, pointing to data showing nearly half of DC diners are eating out less.”
- “Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who serves on the COG board, pressed business leaders to put pressure on Gov. Glenn Youngkin to talk to President Trump and convince him to slow down the downsizing efforts.”
- “‘This is a president who can be swayed by the last person who walks into the Oval Office,’ Walkinshaw said.”
- “Arlington County Board members on April 9 were briefed on new projections suggesting the growth of jobs in the county will not be as robust as once expected.”
- “The decline in the total number of jobs represents the ‘most significant change’ in data from three years ago, said Nicole Boling, an associate planner and demographer from the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.”
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