RICHMOND, VA – September 14, 2026 – The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) has launched a new interactive Unemployment Insurance Claims Dashboard, giving Virginians, employers, policymakers and other stakeholders an easier way to track unemployment claims activity and identify trends across the Commonwealth.  

The new dashboard provides direct access to Virginia’s initial claims, continued weeks claimed and all weeks compensated data reported to the U.S. Department of Labor. Users can explore week-over-week, month-over-month and year-over-year changes, compare trends across three reporting years, and see how Virginia compares with other states and national trends.  

“Unemployment insurance claims data are an important economic indicator, providing timely insight into labor market conditions and workforce trends across Virginia,” said VEC Commissioner Melissa Smith. “This dashboard takes complex data and makes it easier for anyone to see what the numbers are telling us, whether it’s looking at changes from one week to the next, identifying longer-term trends or comparing Virginia with other states and the nation.”  

The dashboard is available at: https://www.vec.virginia.gov/virginia-unemployment-claims-activity. 

Explore Virginia’s Unemployment Claims Data  

The interactive dashboard draws from two datasets VEC reports to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration: the weekly ETA 539 report and monthly ETA 5159 report.  

Users can explore:  

• Initial Claims (IC): New claims filed by unemployed individuals following a separation from an employer. Users can see the two most recently reported weeks, the percentage change from week to week, year-over-year changes and a three-year comparison of weekly claims.  
• Continued Weeks Claimed (CWC): Continued claims filed by individuals who previously filed an initial claim and subsequently experienced a week of unemployment. The dashboard provides weekly changes, year-over-year comparisons and three years of trend data.  
• Monthly Initial Claims (IC) and All Weeks Compensated (AWC): Claimed weeks during a reported month for which unemployment benefits were paid to eligible UI recipients. Users can compare monthly IC and AWC activity across the current and two previous reporting years.  
• Virginia, State and National Comparisons: Users can compare Virginia’s initial claims and compensated trends with national data or select another state from the dashboard. Interactive charts use January as a baseline to show how claims activity changes throughout the year.  

VEC has also released a step-by-step video showing users how to navigate the dashboard, select data and use its comparison features. The video is available at: https://youtu.be/0vjc28xqcew?si=KL3F9m7_ygIbIcja. 

Virginia Works and its Labor Market Information team previously provided this information through its weekly unemployment insurance claims releases. VEC appreciates its continued partnership with Virginia Works in providing Virginians with timely information about the Commonwealth’s workforce.  

For broader workforce trends, employment statistics and labor market information, please continue to contact Virginia Works at communications@virginiaworks.gov.  

For more information about unemployment insurance benefits, claims data and VEC services, please visit www.vec.virginia.gov.  

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