This week in Virginia jobs news

Today, we’re excited to launch our new weekly round-up highlighting the latest Virginia Jobs news. From Roanoke to Reston, we’ll spotlight the week in hires, layoffs, job postings and all other major employment news in the Commonwealth.

• Norfolk Southern Corp. furloughed about 130 locomotive shop employees in Roanoke on Tuesday, saying there had been a decrease in demand for locomotive repair. The furloughed workers, which include electricians, machinists, and pipefitters, reportedly have a “slim” chance of being recalled to work. – The Roanoke Times
  
  
• More than 80% of Virginia construction firms are struggling to fill hourly jobs requiring craft skills, which represent the bulk of the construction workforce, according to a recent survey from the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk. – The Roanoke Times
  
  
• Danville’s IKEA plant will close at the end of 2019, meaning the loss of 300 local jobs. The company is trying to ease the pain by working with federal, state and local agencies, as well as the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, to provide support and job search assistance. – Virginia Business Magazine
  
  
• The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority announced last Friday that the city created nearly 3,000 new jobs in the second quarter of 2019, which is about 50% higher than average. – Local DVM
  
  
• Google is testing a new job search feature called “Pathways” in Hampton Roads and Richmond, which will help job seekers quickly find information about in-demand jobs and free or low-cost local job training opportunities.  – The Virginian-Pilot
  
  
• The Trump administration’s restrictions on the number of H1-B and H2-A visas granted is starting to cause headaches for Virginia employers and could be starting to hurt the American economy, due to a labor shortage in the country. – Virginia Business Magazine
  
  
• Virginia currently has more than 33,000 open jobs in Cybersecurity – CyberSeek
  
  
• Make sure to check out The Washington Post’s Virginia Jobs page, which currently lists nearly 5,000 open jobs in the Commonwealth.