Layoff Announcements Up Nearly 50% In Northern Virginia This Summer

Layoffs announced over the summer were up by nearly 50% year on year and hundreds of job losses took effect.

By Michelle Witte, Patch Staff

Sep 21, 2026 3:05 PM EDT

NORTHERN VIRGINIA, VA – Job losses in Northern Virginia were higher this summer than they were last year, driven by layoffs at General Dynamics and Bechtel Power Corporation.

Between June 21 and Sept. 21 this year, 451 job losses were announced, an increase of more than 47% compared to last year. During the same period last year, 306 job losses were announced.

The bulk of this summer's announced job cuts came from Bechtel Power Corporation's announcement that 200 people at its Reston location would be let go after Bechtel and partner Terrapower were unable to agree on how to proceed with the next phase of their Natrium Demonstration Project.

Layoffs taking effect over the summer were also slightly elevated compared to last year. Between June 21 and Sept. 21 this year, 80 closures and 519 layoffs took effect, resulting in 599 jobs lost over the season. The General Dynamics layoffs at the Pentagon that took effect in August had the biggest impact on that figure.

In 2025, 541 jobs were lost during the same period. In 2024, that figure was 120, though 491 job cuts were announced in that period.

Across the state, the picture was worse, with 2,901 job losses taking effect over summer 2026 as compared to 1,962 over the prior year, an increase of nearly 50%.

As of July, the unemployment rate in Northern Virginia was 3.4%. The region started the year with a 3.7% unemployment rate.

NoVA still grappling with federal budget cuts.

The Washington Metropolitan Region lost more than 100,000 jobs over the past year, while the rest of the country gained some, according to data released by the Metropolitan Council of Governments in July.

The Washington metropolitan area has a higher concentration of federal employment than any other region in the country, and the wave of layoffs triggered by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) budget cuts has been felt acutely.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days' advance written notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.