Big losses in what’s usually the Richmond economy’s most stable sector—government—hit the area’s job market hard in August, Virginia Employment Commission figures show. More than half of August’s month-to-month drop in employment came in government, accounting for 1,800 of 3,100 lost jobs. However, college students’ return to classes took enough people out of the work force to bring the Richmond metropolitan area’s unemployment rate down.

Virginia will need to borrow as much as $1.27 billion from the federal government over the next three years to keep making unemployment compensation payments.

Nine of Virginia’s 10 metropolitan areas—including Richmond—experienced smaller unemployment lines in April from March, according to a report released yesterday by the Virginia Employment Commission. Despite that drop, the rate is expected to increase this year statewide and nationally—but not at the fast pace that it has in the past several months.

Where: 4150 Meadowdale Blvd. in the Meadowdale Plaza Shopping Center, off Hopkins Road at Chippenham Parkway.
  Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for Wednesday, when it is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The VEC also operates two full-service Workforce Centers in the Richmond region:
  Metro Richmond North: 8093 Elm Drive, Mechanicsville, (804) 559-3133

The Virginia Employment Commission opened a satellite office in Chesterfield County today for people to file unemployment claims. The Unemployment Express office is located at 4150 Meadowdale Boulevard in the Meadowdale Plaza Shopping Center off Hopkins Road at Chippenham Parkway. The office is intended only for people who want to file applications for unemployment benefits. The VEC Workforce Center in Mechanicsville continues to offer a full range of services. It can be reached at (804) 559-3133.