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The economy continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic. (Chris Neely / Community Impact Newspaper
After a small nationwide spike in June, the unemployment rate in Texas and the greater Austin area hit new pandemic lows by July.
From March to April 2020, unemployment rose from 5.1% to 12.7% nationwide and from 3.8% to 11.8% nationwide. Corresponding Texas Workforce Commission data Updated on August 20, the unadjusted unemployment rate fell from 4.8% to 4.2% in the Austin metropolitan area, which includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop, which means the number of unemployed from June to July 61,239 has fallen to 54,605.
The unadjusted unemployment rate does not take into account jobs that were gained or lost for only part of the year, such as summer or vacation jobs. The seasonally adjusted rate includes these jobs.
Job supply is keeping pace with demand in Williamson and Hays Counties; However, the workforce in these two counties sees a great need for special skills, said Diane Tackett, chief operating officer of Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area. The organization, which serves Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, and Williamson counties, offers over 5,000 free training programs to earn certifications in many areas, Tackett said.
“We are really trying to meet this community need from entry-level to intermediate-level to more advanced careers,” said Tackett.
Typically, those whose educational experience falls between a high school graduation but before a four-year graduation work intermediate qualifications, Tackett said. The Workforce Solutions Rural Area training offers people the opportunity to work as medical assistants, welders, construction workers, carpenters and more.
The industries that make up a large portion of the Austin workforce are professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities, and government, so Information on the Texan labor market. The smallest industries in the region are manufacturing, finance, and information.
Despite the economic recovery across the Austin metropolitan area, Jessica Garay, the data and career awareness project coordinator for the Workforce Solutions Capital Area, said there was a shortage of skilled labor even before the pandemic.
“The good news is we have the resources to help people like food service workers who have become unemployed,” said Garay. “Some have come to our labor center for help retraining in one of our high-demand industries such as technology, healthcare, craft, and manufacturing.”
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