Arlington’s unemployment figures remained high in April after a surge the previous month, new data shows.
Preliminary jobless figures for April, released last week, indicate a sizeable 64% year-over-year increase in Arlington’s jobless claims. A total of 4,862 residents were looking for work that month, compared to 2,972 in April 2024.
The county’s overall unemployment rate of 3.1% was only slightly down from March, when 4,929 jobless claims gave the county a 3.2% unemployment rate.
The April numbers are preliminary and likely do not yet fully reflect the number of people out of work or in the process of losing their jobs.
These figures add to a continued sense of economic foreboding among county leaders — although Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) continues to try to redirect focus on Virginia’s strengths.
Region-wide impacts
Nearly 1,000 Arlington businesses “are really at risk” due to the impacts of the Trump administration’s mass federal layoffs and their economic ripple effects, County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said on Thursday, the same day the new jobless figures were released.
Arlington’s economic woes combine rising unemployment with an elevated office-vacancy rate of more than 22%.
High vacancy rates predate the Trump administration by a decade or more, but were improving before Covid struck. The pandemic upended work habits and left an overabundance of office space.
Karantonis said even if the vacancy rate can be brought down, it likely will remain higher than historical norms.
“We simply cannot expect we will be able to … get back to the dream of 10% we used to have,” he said.
Arlington’s heavy concentration of federal workers and reliance on the commercial-office sector amplify its economic challenges. But the county is hardly alone.
Across Northern Virginia, total jobless claims stood at 56,172 in April, according to figures reported May 28 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Though down from 58,662 in March, the figure was up 43% from 39,155 a year before.
Northern Virginia’s jobless rate of 3.1% in April was down from 3.2% in March but up from 2.2% in April 2024, according to preliminary data. The D.C. area as a whole, meanwhile, had an unemployment rate of 3.4% in April.
Across the metro area, 120,391 residents were recorded as looking for work, down from 126,770 a month before but up 35% from 89,293 a year before.
Statewide, April’s jobless rate of 3.3% marked the fourth straight month of increases. For 2024, all 12 months had recorded rates of either 2.8% or 2.9%.
Youngkin administration accentuates positives
In response to ongoing unemployment trends, Youngkin’s office argued that current conditions need to be put in a larger perspective.
“Businesses across Virginia are still adding jobs. We’re working closely with industries to support expansion and investment that will drive long-term job creation,” Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater said in a press release last month.
He focused on continued economic opportunities in the commonwealth.
“Virginia continues to attract and retain high-quality employers,” Slater said. “Companies remain confident in our workforce and economy.”
The increase in available workers, including those with significant experience in their fields, has led some public agencies and private firms in Arlington to ramp up recruitment and hiring.
“We see it as an opportunity for us to get the cream of the crop,” Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said at the authority’s May 21 board of directors meeting.
New tool launched for job-seekers
Local economic development organizations have joined forces through the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance to launch a comprehensive effort to assist federal employees, contractors and other professionals facing career disruptions.
“The Pivot” is an initiative of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance, which includes Arlington Economic Development.
“Participants will gain insights into career exploration, entrepreneurial ventures, and skill development to successfully transition into new opportunities,” the alliance said when launching the effort.
As part of the initiative, an eight-week series of online seminars will be offered in June and July on a variety of career-transition and job-hunting topics.
Joblessness rising in most metro areas
Unemployment rates were higher in April than a year earlier in 286 of 387 metropolitan areas in the United States, lower in 72 areas, and unchanged in 29 areas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
A total of 77 areas had jobless rates of less than 3% and eight areas had rates of at least 8%.
In April, two South Dakota metro areas — Rapid City and Sioux Falls — posted the lowest jobless rates at 1.8% each. El Centro, Calif., recorded the highest rate at 16%.
Of the 56 metro areas with populations of more than a million, Oklahoma City posted the lowest jobless rate (2.3%) and Fresno the highest (8.3%).
The national, non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in April was 3.9%, up from 3.5% a year earlier.
