The unemployment numbers are steadily dropping here in Houston, but we still are lagging behind the rest of the state.
Here's the good news: new unemployment claims in Texas were down by 4,400 to just under 16,000 total. Bankrate’s Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick says these numbers are well off of the state’s highs. The Lone Star State’s high was in April of 2020 at 12.9%. That’s when more than 500,000 jobs in hospitality fields disappeared.
However, the numbers aren’t all in the green. Our region, the Gulf Coast, still has the most Texans unemployed at more than 26,000. Why? Some reports indicate parents are still looking for a job with a flexible work schedule, as they don't know if they'll be able to send their kids to school.
Houstonians share many of the same concerns as Americans nationwide. Hamrick says that includes the pandemic, the political environment in Washington, and inflation.
Nationally, jobless claims were up 20,000, even as federal unemployment benefits have expired.