Nearly 10,000 residents have filed for unemployment benefits in Hays County between March 18-April 18, and about 44.16% of those claims were filed in San Marcos alone, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission.
In early April, the TWC released data that showed 9,955 Hays County residents had filed an unemployment insurance claim, making up for about 4.47% of the county’s area population.
The city of San Marcos accounts for 4,396 of the unemployment claims in the county, making it one of the top cities in the area whose residents seek jobless benefits. The cities of Kyle and Buda fall below San Marcos, with some of the highest unemployment claims in the county.
In addition, the top five industries reporting unemployment claims include restaurants, hotels and motels, offices of dentists and physicians excluding mental health and child day care services, according to information released by the TWC.
Though unemployment claims are on the rise, there are big employers, such as Amazon and H-E-B, that have “ramped up their employment” in the county, according to Paul Fletcher, CEO of Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area.
“It’s been interesting. ... But fortunately, we have a lot of industry in our area that was not impacted by [COVID-19] to the degree where they had to let people go but were actually able to keep going,” Fletcher said.
Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area will be hosting a virtual career fair May 6 at 8 a.m. As of April 30, about 400 job seekers and about 30 employers have signed up for the virtual job fair, according to WSRCA Chief Executive Officer Cara DiMattina-Ryan.
To register for the virtual job fair, click here.
Here are the unemployment insurance claims by city in Hays County from March 18-April 18.
- San Marcos: 4,396 unemployment insurance claims
- Buda: 1,761 unemployment insurance claims
- Dripping Springs: 592 unemployment insurance claims
- Driftwood: 125 unemployment insurance claims
- Kyle: 2,557 unemployment insurance claims
- Wimberley: 422 unemployment insurance claims
