After pandemic, Virginia’s hospitality sector is making a comeback

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many job sectors suffered from shutdowns and lost business. The leisure and hospitality economy was one of them. Now those jobs appear to be making a return.

Aerial view of the Virginia Beach oceanfront. (Getty Images)


According to figures reported by the Virginia Employment Commission, the leisure and hospitality fields gained 64,000 jobs between May 2021 and May 2022.

That means more than half of the 125,000 net jobs gained in Virginia came from that sector. It represents a boost of almost 19% over the past year.

The state’s nonfarm employment was estimated at 4,044,400, up 125,000 from the previous year. The Northern Virginia region accounted for 43,500 of the 125,000 jobs.

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