Virginia Beach is home to a civilian workforce of 222,159. The MSA’s civilian labor force is substantially larger, which allows businesses to draw from a pool of more than 825,694 people. Unemployment rates in the MSA have ranged from 3.5% to 7.4% over the past several years. In addition to civilian workers, the region is home to the largest concentration of Department of Defense installations in the world, with an active duty population of more than 90,400.
In addition, Virginia Beach’s diverse population provides unique opportunities for available high-quality labor, which is not reflected in the unemployment rate. Complete labor data is available for download in Excel format.
Exiting military men and women
Each year more than 13,000 personnel exit the military with many preferring to stay in the area and seek private sector employment. The education and training level of the exiting military personnel bring diverse and disciplined production, technical, managerial, computer and electronic skills to the labor force.
Spouses of military personnel
Military spouses in the Virginia Beach MSA number over 30,000, and many work full- or part-time to supplement the family income. Most have a minimum of two years of college, as well as administrative, customer service, and computer skills.
College students
Post-secondary education options abound in the Virginia Beach MSA, providing access to more than 191,000 existing or graduated students to part-time and full-time employment. There are more than 57,000 baccalaureate graduates and a graduate population of nearly 30,000 in Virginia Beach.
North Carolina commuters
About 13,500 residents of northeastern North Carolina commute to Virginia on a daily basis.
New working-age residents
Each year, over 5,000 Virginia Beach students graduate from high school, ready to enter directly into the workforce or continue their education at area colleges, universities, and training institutions. Many of these students have received specialized job training and taken advanced placement courses while in school.
Last year, in Virginia Beach alone, over 4,500 students earned industry certifications, adding their skills to an already outstanding employee applicant pool.
Virginia’s Workplace Readiness Skills program teaches high school students the critical skills they need for the workplace, whether they get a job right out of high school, or continue on to college or other advanced training.
Last updated: Oct 2011