Labor Market Intelligence

The Coastal Bend Region posted an unemployment rate of 8.7% with over 22,000 workers out of work in October 2020 according to the latest Labor Market Report from the Texas Workforce Commission.

This is down from a 10.3% unemployment rate in September 2020. While the number of unemployed workers has decreased by nearly 5,000 job seekers over the month, the civilian labor force also decreased in October, contributing to the 8.7% regional unemployment rate.

Of the 11 counties in the Coastal Bend, Jim Wells County posted the highest unemployment rate at 12.5% followed by Duval County at 12.2%.

Job demand in the Food Service industry has been on the increase in recent months in WorkinTexas.com with occupations such as Food Service Workers and Food Service Supervisors remaining among the top 5 jobs that Coastal Bend employers are looking to fill. However in recent weeks the demand for Retail Salespersons and Retail Sales Supervisors has increased as employers are expanding their business hours and services. Another contributing factor to the demand for Retail Sales workers is the cyclical hiring pattern that normally occurs during the months of November and December as holiday spending increases.

WorkInTexas.com continues to be the largest job search site in Texas with nearly 7,500 jobs available in the Coastal Bend. Employers are looking to fill thousands of positions and are ready to hire workers now. To learn more about WorkInTexas.com, check out this video from the Texas Workforce Commission, and get registered today.

As we continue to Build A Safe Workforce Community, Workforce Professionals are available and ready to virtually assist customers with their job search from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. CAREER CENTERS ARE OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please call (361) 882-7491 to schedule an appointment today.

To see the latest Unemployment Insurance (UI) Claims Data, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) continues to update the UI Claimant Dashboard which is an interactive map with detailed information by Workforce Development Areas (WDA), County, Zip Code, Texas House Districts, Texas Senate Districts and U.S. Congressional Districts.

Click Here T o Access The UI Interactive Map.

Workforce Professionals are available and ready to virtually assist customers with their job search from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. VIRTUAL SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE. Please call or text (361) 882-7491 for assistance.

Visit https://www.workforcesolutionscb.org/calendar/ as well as our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Pages to get the most up-to-date information on upcoming Virtual Hiring Events in WorkInTexas.com.

Labor Market Information Definitions

Not Seasonally Adjusted (Actual) – Data has not been subjected to the seasonal adjustment process. In other words, the effects of regular or seasonal patterns have not been removed from these series. Not seasonally adjusted data is available for smaller geographies, where seasonally adjusted is only available down to the state level. Use this data to view raw numbers, and for geographies smaller than state level.

Seasonally Adjusted – Total employment and unemployment vary throughout the year. For example, higher unemployment in January and February isn’t uncommon because of work in agriculture, construction and other seasonal industries slowing down. Also, both employment and unemployment rise every June, when students enter the labor force in search of summer jobs. Seasonally adjusted numbers also take into account seasonal hiring/layoff patterns that go along with winter and summer holidays. Use this data for month-to-month comparisons for Texas and the United States.

Labor Force – Residents who are at least 16 years old, not serving in the military or institutionalized, and employed or seeking employment.

Download Targeted Occupations List 2019-2021 (PDF)

The targeted occupations list is developed by Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend for the most effective use of local workforce development resources. Sources of information for the target list are local area employers, economic development entities, chambers of commerce, community partners, Texas Workforce Commission labor market information regarding the Coastal Bend Counties, and knowledge gained from continuous contact with the above sources.

Strategic Business Plan 2017 – 2020

Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend’s Strategic Business Plan 2017 – 2020 has been updated to comply with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) regulations and is available for public comment until noon Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

Public comments can be provided to Amy Kiddy Villarreal, Deputy Executive Director, by email at amy.villarreal@workforcesolutionscb.org.

Two public listening sessions were held on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. at the Sunrise Career Center located at 5858 S.P.I.D., Suite 1 and 3:30 p.m. at the Staples Career Center located at 520 North Staples.

Click Here To Download Strategic Business Plan 2017 – 2020

Local Labor Market Information

The Texas Workforce Commission collects information from Unemployment Insurance claims coupled with data from the Current Employment Statistics Program and data from other sources to produce estimates of total employment, unemployment, and unemployment rates for the 27 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and all 254 counties in the state.

Each month, the Local Area Labor Market Information (LMI) is distributed to the Coastal Bend community. These rates are provided to a wide variety of users both inside and outside government and are used as a basic allocator for federal funding in many programs.

Check out the latest Local Labor Market Information (LMI) for the Coastal Bend.

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Phone System Upgrade

If you need to file for unemployment benefits, go to https://www.twc.texas.gov/jo…/unemployment-benefits-services to apply. If you prefer to call the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) about your benefits, you can reach them at 1-800-939-6631. TWC is now available 7...