Axios Richmond: “Virginia forecast to lose 32,000 jobs this year”

VIRGINIA - New reporting from Axios Richmond highlights that Virginia will likely lose about 32,000 jobs this year. This comes as Winsome Earle-Sears has repeatedly defended Donald Trump’s attacks on Virginia jobs and downplayed and dismissed them.

“As thousands of Virginians face layoffs, Winsome Earle-Sears continues to downplay and dismiss attacks on Virginia jobs. The Commonwealth deserves a leader who will fight for them instead of cheering these attacks on,” said DPVA Spokesperson Maggie Amjad.

Axios Richmond: Virginia forecast to lose 32,000 jobs this year

• Virginia will likely lose about 32,000 jobs this year, according to a new economic forecast from UVA's Weldon Cooper Center.
• The outsize role the federal government plays in Virginia's economy through federal jobs and contracts is driving the dire forecast, the center's economists wrote in its latest quarterly economic projection.
• By the numbers: Government employment is expected to see the biggest job loss in raw numbers, per the center.
• Zoom out: The center projects the state's unemployment rate could hit 3.9% this year and rise to 4.7% next year, which would be Virginia's highest jobless rate since early 2021.
• Zoom in: NoVa and Hampton Roads will likely take the brunt of these job losses. More than 50% of federal workers live in NoVa and around 20% in Hampton Roads, per the center. And 62% of federal contracts are spent in NoVa with 16% going to Hampton Roads.