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Texas jobless claims fall for fourth straight week

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​​COLLEGE STATION – ​​Weekly initial unemployment claims in Texas fell to 41,800 in the week ending Oct. 3, bringing the total since March 21 to 3.6 million, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).​​

This is the fourth straight week of decreases following an upward revision to the previous week’s numbers. ​​

“Still much work needs to be done as the revision pushed up the numbers, slowing the rate of decrease with respect to previous weeks,​​​” said Real Estate Center Research Economist Dr. Luis Torres. 

The number of Texans who continue to claim unemployment insurance decreased the week of Sept. 26 to 807,200.

Unlike with the U.S. as a whole, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is not the main driver of jobless claims in Texas, representing around 15 percent of claims at the state level compared with 58 percent nationally.

Fewer people in the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio metros filed new unemployment claims during the week ending Sept. 26, the third straight week of improvements. New claims also fell in Laredo after increasing the previous week.

New claims increased in Austin, reverting a two-week downward trend. More claims were also filed in El Paso, McAllen, and Brownsville after decreasing the previous three weeks. 

Using data from the DOL and the Employment and Training Administration, the ​Center has estimated unemployment claims for Texas’ major and border metros since March 21:​

  • Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, 825,200 claims;

  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, 784,500 claims;

  • San Antonio-New Braunfels, 249,700 claims;

  • Austin-Round Rock, 212,400 claims;

  • McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, 96,600 claims;​

  • El Paso, 82,000 claims;

  • Brownsville-Harlingen, 42,700 claims; and

  • Laredo, 25,300 claims.

Administrative/support/waste management/remediation services, retail trade, healthcare and social assistance, construction, and accommodation and food services represented the sectors with the most unemployment claims.

Last week, new national unemployment claims decreased to 834,000, bringing the 29-week total to 63.6 million. The previous week’s numbers were also revised upward.

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