Between May and June, the unemployment rate in Charlottesville increased more than 20 percent, from 6.6 percent of the city population to 8 percent. During the same time period, the statewide unemployment rate dropped faintly, from 7.1 percent to 7 percent. Albemarle County found its way to the top 10 list of areas with the lowest unemployment rates, with 5.8 percent of residents jobless.
According to local data from the Virginia Employment Commission, that 8 percent translates to 1,767 jobless in Charlottesville as of June. In the same month, the VEC counted 4,948 job openings posted online—roughly a 1:3 ratio of unemployed city residents to job openings. That ratio is one of the lowest in the state, with only Arlington and Rappahannock counties and Fredericksburg posting lower ratios.
The VEC’s site also notes that, as of July 28, 40 percent of city job openings advertised online require a bachelor’s degree, which only 25 percent of "available candidates" in Charlottesville have.
Bloomberg recently announced that the total number of first-time filings for unemployment insurance in the United States dropped by 11,000. However, the national jobless rate sticks around 9.5 percent.