Virginia’s unemployment rate is now down to levels that haven’t been seen since before the recession hit a decade ago. That’s the good news. But, there’s an important part of the story those numbers don’t tell.
Many unemployed people across Virginia have become so frustrated looking for a job that they have simply given up. They’re no longer looking for work, and therefore they don’t count as unemployed. Laura Goren at the Commonwealth Institute says the recent slow-and-steady job growth in Virginia is not enough to make up for the jobs hole that was dug during the recession.
“The reason we don’t have a large unemployment rate at this point, is because many people have left the labor force altogether perhaps because they’ve given up looking for work after many years of disappointment.”
That disappointment is spread unevenly across Virginia. In large urban areas, the labor force participation has recovered. But Hamilton Lombard at the University of Virginia says areas outside the large urban centers are where labor force participation is lagging behind.
"Sometimes this has to do with aging, you have an older workforce. Maybe they’re retired early. But a lot of this has to do with the mismatch. When you go out to these areas, the educational attainment rate is lower.”
Virginia’s working-age population increased 13% in the last decade — significantly more than the 6% job growth. That means about quarter of a million missing jobs in Virginia compared to the pre-recession employment rate.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
