RICHMOND, VA – On June 17, 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that the number of employed Virginians had increased to more than 4.2 million workers in May 2022. Virginia has added nearly 80,000 since February. Virginia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3% in May. This continues to be lower than the national rate, which remained unchanged at 3.6%. The Commonwealth labor force participation rate, measuring the proportion of the civilian population aged 16 and over who are employed or actively seeking work, rose 0.3% to 63.8% in May.

According to BLS household survey data, the number of employed residents rose by 18,134 to 4,218,336. In recent months, employment growth has accelerated. April’s job growth was the eighth largest monthly increase, while May’s was the tenth since 1976. The Commonwealth’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3% is 1.1 percentage points lower than the rate from a year ago. The labor force increased by 17,175 to 4,347,177, while the number of unemployed residents fell by 959 to 128,841.

“I’m encouraged, after one of the worst jobs recoveries of the pandemic in the nation, nearly 80,000 more Virginians are working today than when I took office,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said. “Virginia is moving in the right direction. We are focused on getting Virginians back to work and expanding opportunities across the Commonwealth. As our labor force participation continues to grow, with fewer people working than ‘before the pandemic, there is still plenty of room for growth.

“Since the peak of pandemic unemployment in April 2020, the number of unemployed residents has declined by more than 385,500,” Commerce and Commerce Secretary Caren Merrick said. “It definitely shows that Virginians are getting back to work and the state’s economy is improving.”

“The 3.0% unemployment rate in May is approaching the almost historic low pre-pandemic unemployment rate of 2.7%,” Labor Secretary Bryan Slater said. “We are also encouraged by the continued increase in the number of Virginians employed.”

Virginia’s nonfarm payrolls rose 7,000 to 4,044,400 in May. From May 2021 to May 2022, the VEC estimates that establishments in Virginia gained 125,000 jobs, an increase of 3.2%. In May, the private sector recorded a year-over-year gain of 110,300 jobs, while the public sector gained 14,700 jobs.

Compared to a year ago, on a seasonally adjusted basis, nine of the eleven major industrial divisions saw employment increases while two saw employment declines. The largest job gain over the year was in leisure and hospitality, with up to 64,000 jobs (+18.8%). The second largest job gain over the year was in education and health services, up 20,500 jobs (+3.8%). The third largest job gain over the year was in public administration, up 14,700 jobs (+2.1%). Other job gains occurred in professional and business services (+12,500 jobs), trade, transportation and utilities (+8,700 jobs), miscellaneous services (+6,300 jobs), (+2,700 jobs), Manufacturing (+600 jobs) and Mining and Logging (+200 jobs).

In government, local government (+10,400 jobs), state (+4,300 jobs) and federal employment, employment remained stable. Job losses occurred in Finance (-4,200 jobs) to 205,700 and in Construction, with a drop of 1,000 jobs to 205,100.

For more details, visit the Virginia Employment Commission website at vec.virginia.gov.