Governor Glenn Youngkin visited Stafford County on Friday, highlighting more than 250,000 open jobs across Virginia—even as concerns mount over federal job cuts. Speaking at SimVentions, an engineering and technology services firm in Stafford, Youngkin told the crowd, “Virginia has jobs. Lots of jobs.”

The event, hosted at SimVentions’ headquarters, was organized with the help of State Senator Tara Durant (R-28, Fredericksburg, Stafford), who said the initiative behind the state’s jobs rollout has been years in the making.

Youngkin praised the Commonwealth’s momentum in job growth, citing key statistics.

“We’ve had over 260,000 more people working today than just three years ago,” said Youngkin. “And that has translated into over $100 billion of investment committed to plants, to expansions, to R&D centers, to new headquarters, and very importantly, to new power supplies across all of Virginia.”

Youngkin also pointed to four consecutive years of budget surpluses totaling nearly $10 billion. “We’ve been able to return a substantial amount of money in tax relief to our owners, the people of Virginia. $8 billion by the time we’re done,” he said, noting the number could reach $9 billion under the current budget negotiations.

The governor emphasized that investment has extended to education, with “Virginia investing 50% more in education than we did just five years ago.”

SimVentions President Joe Caliri said the company currently has “27 or 29 job openings,” with most roles focused on “high-tech secure type work—software engineering, system engineering, modeling simulation, cyber security, and then all the analytics that come along with that.”

Caliri said SimVentions has grown from just three employees to more than 400. “It’s been a challenge to grow the business at the right level, at the right pace. But hiring the right people makes a big difference. So we’re really picky about who we hire and make sure we keep them once we get them.”

Although SimVentions has not been directly impacted by the federal job cuts, Caliri said the ripple effects of federal job losses are being felt.

“It affects me watching the patriots who are federal employees kind of get shoved aside a little bit,” he said. “So if our customers aren’t being successful or don’t have an opportunity to be successful, by definition, we can’t be successful.”

Durant said the virginiaHasjobs.com initiative wasn’t a reactive move—it’s been long in development.

“They started this out of necessity even before we started to see this whole new conversation from a different perspective that some people may be looking for work,” she said. “So I think that’s why the website and the rollout has been so phenomenal because clearly you can tell they’ve been working on this for a decade.”

Asked if the region is prepared for more federal layoffs, Durant said, “In our family, we’re walking through this with our family and friends too. My husband is a federal employee. Everybody’s affected. Yeah, we’re walking through this together.”

Still, she expressed hope that Stafford County and surrounding areas may weather the storm better than others. “Considering this region has been so vibrant and we’ve been growing so fast, I think we’re going to, you know, hopefully we will land better than maybe some other parts,” she said.

Youngkin urged those impacted by federal cuts—or anyone seeking a new opportunity—to visit virginiahasjobs.com, where more than 250,000 jobs are listed.

“The second most powerful three words in the English language are, ‘You are hired,’” said Youngkin. “They express so much. I value you, and therefore want you to be part of our team. You will have a future, and therefore you don’t hire a person. Oftentimes, you hire a family.”

Prince William County is grappling with dozens of long-term staff vacancies, prompting concern among officials about recruitment, retention, and the impact on services.

During the county’s first Finance and Budget Committee meeting on Tuesday, David Sinclair, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, delivered a detailed vacancy analysis at the request of the Board of County Supervisors. The analysis focused on county government positions that have remained unfilled for 270 days or more.

According to Clare, 56 roles, totaling 45.82 full-time equivalent (FTE), remained vacant as of February 1, 2025. The combined value of the salaries, benefits, and taxes associated with those vacancies was $4.6 million.

“Some of these positions have been vacant for over a year. And while there are cost savings, they often come with service disruptions,” Sinclair told the committee.

The Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center (ADC) had the highest long-term vacancies. The facility has 15.6 FTE jail officer positions that have been unfilled for more than nine months. Last year, the county eliminated 23 jail officer positions from the budget, citing staffing shortages and a lower average daily jail population.

Supervisor Andrea Bailey (Potomac District) and others expressed concern that jail staffing issues may affect safety and morale.

“Our law enforcement community deserves support, especially in retention and competitive pay,” said Bailey.

In response to continued hiring challenges, Sinclair noted the ADC’s salary and benefit savings have been falling into the jail’s fund balance—now totaling around $22 million. These funds, he said, could be used to support retention bonuses or strategic hiring initiatives.

Other hard-to-fill roles include nurses, clinical case workers, IT professionals, and planners.

After multiple failed recruitment attempts, the Department of Information Technology has turned to contractors to fill critical tech roles. Contract workers often cost more than full-time employees, but officials said it’s the only option in some cases.

“We’ve seen three, four, even five rounds of recruitment for a single IT position,” Sinclair said. “It’s not just a vacancy—it’s an operational gap.”

Recruitment and retention are also challenging in public health and mental health services. The Department of Social Services and Community Services reported long-term vacancies for case workers and psychiatrists, including one child psychiatrist position that has remained open for nearly a year.

“These aren’t just administrative roles,” said Supervisor Victor Angry (Neabsco District). “We’re talking about nurses in our jail, mental health professionals, and people who directly serve our most vulnerable residents.”

Sinclair reminded supervisors that not all vacant positions are funded by the county’s general fund. Some are covered by state reimbursements, development fees, or enterprise funds like solid waste or stormwater management. The county also loses the associated revenue when a state-reimbursed position goes unfilled.

The report also examined salary lapse savings, a budgeting technique in which agencies assume several vacant positions annually. For the fiscal year 2026, the county budget includes $22.3 million in salary lapse savings, the equivalent of about 250 vacant positions.

However, Sinclair warned that the county overspent its salaries and benefits budget by $3.7 million in FY24, meaning that actual vacancies didn’t generate as much savings as expected.

Supervisors expressed mixed reactions to the data. Bob Weir (Gainesville District) questioned whether departments intentionally keep positions open to hit their budget targets.

“We should be clawing back more of this funding,” said Weir. “If we don’t do something about long-term vacancies, we’re not being honest about our staffing reality.”

Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin (Woodbridge District) wants to see more effort in understanding what’s working in hiring and retention.

“We always hear what’s not working. But what’s helping us reduce turnover? What are we doing right?” she asked.

According to Sinclair, the county’s turnover rate improved in FY24, dropping to 7% without retirements, down from double-digit levels during the pandemic. However, she cautioned that one year of improvement isn’t enough to declare a trend.

The committee agreed to revisit the issue after updated data is available and potentially recommend policy changes, including reevaluating the county’s salary lapse methodology.

“These are the discussions this committee was created for,” said Chair Kenny Boddye (Occoquan District), elected chair of the Finance and Budget Committee, during the meeting. “Let’s dig in now so we’re not scrambling during budget markup.”

To help address ongoing staffing shortages across departments, Prince William County Government will host a countywide Career Expo on Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. More than 20 agencies will participate, offering full-time, part-time, seasonal, internship, and volunteer opportunities across various fields—from public safety, engineering, and criminal justice to parks and recreation, elections, and human services.

Entry-level to professional positions will be available, with on-site interviews and contingent job offers for some roles. Registration is not required, but attendees can skip the line by using Express Check-In. More information is online.

Falmouth Elementary School's parents received an email on July 10 from Dr. Sallie Burch advising that she would resign as Principal effective July 31. Dr. Burch said after 12 years in Stafford County Public Schools, stating briefly that she would be leaving to pursue a new opportunity.

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Prince William County currently has over 400 job openings across all departments and will host a Career Expo to fill as many open positions as possible.

More information can be found in the County’s press release:

The Prince William County Career Expo will be held on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center at 10960 George Mason Circle in Manassas from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Onsite interviews will be conducted for some entry level positions with potential contingent offers and pre-screening interviews for some mid-to higher-level positions.

County staff will be available at the expo to assist attendees in finding suitable volunteer and employment opportunities, whether they are looking for full-time or part-time positions, internships or seasonal jobs. Representatives from various departments, hiring managers and personnel from Prince William County Human Resources will be present to answer questions about the recruitment and selection process, as well as the county’s benefit offerings.

Laptops will be available at the Career Expo for potential candidates to complete applications onsite. County staff will also be on hand to help with the application process.

“People who choose public service careers often do so to give back to the community they live in,” said Human Resources Manager Adreanne Simms. “In Prince William County, we offer excellent pay and benefits, Virginia State Retirement, office locations countywide and diverse job opportunities to challenge and inspire you. We invite you to work where you live and play and See Yourself Here!”

Registration for the Career Expo is not required. However, interested candidates can skip the line to get right to the agencies they want to meet with Express Check-In. Learn more and sign up for Express Check-In at pwcva.gov/career-expo.

Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. LaTanya McDade: “June 3, PWCS will hold an Instructional Job Fair at the Kelly Leadership Center. I invite you to complete our registration form and help us recruit top talent by spreading the word about instructional opportunities or any of our classified positions, such as bus drivers, security, finance, human resources, and information technology professionals. I encourage you to refer family, friends, or recent graduates, especially former PWCS students – you belong here!”

“As a reminder, June 15 is the last day of school and will be an early-release day. This ensures final exams, grading, and year-end obligations are met for students and staff before the summer break.”

Prince William County Public Schools is the state’s second-largest school division. It’s curring looking to fill more than 700 vacant positions.

Over 300 school division employees retired on Thursday, June 1, at the division’s annual retirement ceremony at Gar-Field High School in Woodbridge.

Keep Prince William Beautiful: "The Prince William County Green Business Council (PWCGBC)has partnered with gpac to provide resources to employers and job seekers working in environmental sustainability. The partnership comes as a result of the PWCGBC seeking to expand its offerings to new and existing member businesses across Prince William County."

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Prince William Public Libraries is hosting a Job Fair on Thursday, May 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Chinn Park Library, 13065 Chinn Park Drive in Woodbridge.

The Job Fair will feature over 30 businesses, organizations, and government agencies for Prince William area residents seeking new career opportunities. The job fair will allow the public to learn more about jobs in and around Prince William County.

Businesses in attendance will include Koons Automotive, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Walmart, and Wegmans. Multiple Prince William County government departments will be recruiting at the Job Fair. Prince William County Public Schools, City of Manassas Parks, Culture & Recreation, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard will also be on-site to discuss career opportunities. 

For more information, visit pwcva.gov/library.