As unemployment claims increase due to COVID-19, work underway to help North Texans find jobs
This is only the front end of the expected unemployment surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, but first time unemployment benefits increased sharply last week.
Nationally, jobless claims were 281,000. The highest weekly number since September 2017, following Hurricane Harvey.
And the Texas Workforce Commission is already being overwhelmed by Texans looking to file an unemployment claim.
So many people have been trying to collect unemployment benefits due to COVID-19, the website to apply crashed on Thursday, a sign of just how desperate this situation has become.
“We are beginning to experience more and more job losses,” State Senator Royce West said.
West is working with Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas to put together a virtual hiring fair.
Workforce Solutions, which is part of the Texas Workforce Commission, is transitioning to all online and telephone based applications, but its call center is receiving more than it can handle.
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“You have reached the Texas Workforce Commission. Due to the overwhelming call volumes as a result of the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, we’re unable to handle your call at this time,” is what callers hear.
“And we’ve been through something like this, not at this magnitude,” Tera Nunn, with Texas Workforce Commission, said.
To make matters worse, Workforce Solutions said the site to apply for benefits crashed, likely from overload.
For those trying to log on, it was a slow crawl from Google to get on to their site, as it took more than 15 minutes to access the website.
“Crashing of the website kind of tells us exactly how exacerbated this problem is,” West said.
The site was back up and running by Thursday afternoon.
“You need to go ahead and get online now and it’s going to take some time, be patient,” West added.
He added that some fields have immediate needs.
“There is a need, a critical need for individuals in the health profession, including registered nurses, grocery, and also logistics,” West said.
“If I must say, pray, number one, stay encouraged, number two, and don’t give up, number three,” said Shiralette Broussard, who is currently unemployed.
Broussard said her son is out of work because of the pandemic.
“It’s mind boggling. You have to kind of prepare yourself,” she added.
Click here for the unemployment benefits services page from Texas Workforce Commission.