RICHMOND, Va. (WFXR) — Governor Glenn Youngkin announces that Virginia’s labor force participation rate remained at 66.6% in February.
According to the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), the state labor force participation rate, which measures the proportion of the civilian population age 16 and older that is employed or actively looking for work did not change.
“In February, we set a new record-high number of Virginians in the labor force, which is encouraging for local businesses trying to fill open jobs and grow in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “This report reinforces the need for pro-growth policies that move Virginia forward for the Commonwealth’s economy to thrive.”
The report shows Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained .9 percentage points below the 3.9% national rate. Meanwhile, the labor force increased by 3,159 to 4,591,543 and the number of employed residents went up by 3,233 hitting 4,451,840.
The BLS LAUS also shows that unemployed residents dropped by 74 to 139,703.
“Virginia’s unchanged unemployment rate is now nearly a full percentage point below the 3.9 percent national rate,” said Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater. “With the many job openings in the Commonwealth, we maintain our focus on training Virginians in high-demand occupations to continue to increase our labor force participation.”
