The Richmond area’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate rose slightly from April to May as college and high school graduates entered the workforce, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Wednesday, according to The Richmond Times Dispatch.
The local jobless rate increased to 6.7 percent in May from 6.5 percent in April, as about 1,100 additional people were counted as unemployed. The number of employed people also rose by 1,244, and the overall labor force increased.
“[The rate] usually does go up between April and May because you have college graduates and students entering the labor force looking for work,” said Ann Lang, the commission’s senior economist.
Lang said the rate for Virginia and many metro areas likely will increase in June for the same reason.
Virginia’s overall unemployment rate, when adjusted for seasonal factors, was down slightly to 6 percent in May, from 6.1 percent in April. On an unadjusted basis, the state rate was up slightly from 5.8 percent in April to 6 percent in May.
