One of the few states that didn’t see an increase in unemployment during April, jobs in Virginia are continuing to hold their own.

During April, the State of Virginia saw its unemployment rate come in at 6.8 percent, even with the March unemployment rate and lower than the national unemployment rate of 8.9 percent. The state had a total non-farm employment of 3,669,000 workers during April, according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 3,673,100 workers during March and a 2.7 percent decrease from last year.

As has been the case in most places during the last few months, the construction industry took the biggest hit. The industry employed 194,100 workers during April, down from 197,600 workers during March and a 14.4 percent decrease from last year.

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Gov. Edward G. Rendell recently announced his plan to invest in three venture capital firms that will help create biotech jobs in PA.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority recently approved $5 million in new investments to the firms through the New PA Venture Capital Investment program, which provides loans to venture capital firms to invest in growth-stage companies. The three firms are expected to leverage an additional $15 million in private investments that will be used to support more than 20 early stage companies in Pennsylvania.

The New PA Venture Capital Investment program was authorized to provide $60 million in loans to venture capital managers and leverage another $180 million in private equity for a total investment of $240 million in the local economy. According to the National Venture Capital Association, Pennsylvania is currently third in the nation in jobs created by venture-backed companies.

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An effort between Gov. Martin O’Malley and the Mediterranean Shipping Company will help keep hundreds of Maryland careers in the state.

O’Malley and officials from MSC recently signed a six-year extension to the current contract between the Port of Baltimore and the MSC, an international container shipping company based in Geneva. The deal will help keep 628 direct jobs in Maryland and ensure the continued shipment of containerized cargo through the Port of Baltimore.

“In these difficult economic times, I am very pleased to receive an extended commitment from one of the top container shipping companies in the world,” O’Malley said in a press release. “This extension keeps good-paying, family-supporting jobs at the economic engine that is the Port of Baltimore. Maryland is proud to be signing the third long-term contract in a year when many ports are facing much harder times.”

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Several youths will have the opportunity to participate in D.C. summer jobs this year.

About 24,000 youths 14 to 24-years old in Washington, D.C. have already registered for the city’s 2009 Summer Youth Employment Program, which had an early registration deadline of May 1. This is the highest level of enrollment the city has seen in years, which is good news since the program faced some backlash last year. This year’s program runs from June 18 to August 21.

This year the city also is able to offer a record number of job opportunities. Program participants will have a variety of job options, including working in many District agencies, the private sector, the federal government - including the White House - and the Mayor’s Conservation Corps.

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