UNEMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS SPIKE IN WASHINGTON, AREA COUNTIES

  

Unemployment claims in Washington County have seen a sharp increase over the past few weeks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to March data from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), seven people in Washington County applied for unemployment insurance in the week ending March 7^th.

The number of applicants jumped up to 69 for the week ending March 14^th, then dropped to 62 for the week ending March 21^st.

That number then nearly doubled for the week ending March 28^th, going up to 123 applicants.

March’s data for surrounding counties can be seen below:

Claims for Week Ending

                  3/28            3/21            3/14            3/7

•                Austin:                   109             100              28               17
•                Brazos:                  1,426         974              73               62
•                Burleson:               81               43               13                5
•                Fayette:                  99               54                6                 8
•                Grimes:                 127              69               11               43
•                Lee:                        53               62               13               12
•                Waller:                   302             205              29               26

County data for the month of April is not yet available from the TWC.

For the week ending March 28^th, the industries seeing the most unemployment insurance claims statewide were accommodation and food services with 60,621 claims, followed by health care and social assistance with 36,901 and retail trade with 27,087.

Monday, TWC call centers began operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week in order to handle increased call volume.  The number to call is 1-800-939-6631.  Applicants can also go online to https://twc.texas.gov.