Patchwork Recovery: As Job Gains Spread, Gaps Are Becoming More Stark

There are finally more jobs in Virginia than before the recession started eight years ago. Today, workers in high-wage occupations, certain industries such as education and health services, and several of Virginia’s larger communities are better off than before the recession. In many communities, occupations, and industries, though, people still struggle. Growth in low- and middle-wage occupations hasn’t materialized. Virginia’s goods-producing industries never recovered. And many of Virginia’s communities are only a little better off today than during the last recession.