Federal workforce cuts implemented by the Trump administration and, as of July 8, enabled by the U.S. Supreme Court have helped drive the number of unemployed Fairfax County residents to heights not seen in nearly four years.
A total of 21,705 county residents were counted as unemployed in May, according to new data reported by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. That’s up 35% from a year before.
Local economic development organizations have joined forces to launch a comprehensive initiative aimed at assisting federal employees, contractors and other professionals facing career disruptions.
“The Pivot” is an initiative of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance, which includes the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.
Three Fairfax County-based businesses have made a list of the top 100 firms nationally where young Americans would be willing to work free for a year, in hopes of landing a full-time position.
Tysons-based Capital One placed 39th on the ranking, with Tysons’ Hilton coming in at #46 and Vienna-based Navy Federal Credit Union #55.
Regional leaders seem to agree that they must cooperate and coordinate in an effort to blunt impacts of Trump administration’s gutting of the federal workforce.
But that may not be so simple in a region where jurisdictions across the D.C. metropolitan area typically have competed, rather than collaborated, to achieve economic development goals.
Contractors in Fairfax County appear to be feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to slash federal funding.
Mitre Corporation will lay off 442 employees primarily at its Tysons headquarters campus on June 3, while Reston-based Leidos will eliminate 29 workers based in its Lincolnia office, effective May 30, according to notices that both companies filed this week with the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
The Fairfax County Police Department has a message for those affected by the Trump administration’s downsizing of the federal government: Come check us out.
The department launched a dedicated recruitment initiative on Tuesday (April 1) “aimed at hiring experienced professionals seeking stable and rewarding career opportunities in public safety.”
Local colleges have joined the rush to support workers affected by the Trump administration’s broad purge of the federal government’s ranks.
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), the biggest public higher education institution in Virginia, launched a NOVA New Employment, Exploration and Transition program (NOVAnext) on Wednesday (March 12) that will give laid-off federal workers and contractors free access to select classes and employment workshops.
Recent actions by the Trump administration are heightening the urgency of the Fairfax County and the D.C. area’s longtime goal of reducing their reliance on federal government employment and spending.
With mass worker layoffs, contract cancellations and potential real estate sales promising significant economic upheaval, local and regional leaders may have no choice but to “think and act differently,” according to Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Julie Coons.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had a message this week for federal workers in Virginia affected by the Trump administration’s mass layoffs: there are job openings in the Commonwealth.
Speaking at Capital One headquarters in Tysons today (Monday), Youngkin announced the launch of VirginiaHasJobs.com, a new website aimed at connecting job seekers with employment opportunities across the state.
Those employed in Fairfax County saw the 10th highest average weekly paycheck among the nation’s 370 most populous localities, according to new federal figures.
The average weekly wage for those who work in the county, no matter where they might live, was $2,143 in the second quarter of 2024, according to data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in November.
