Texas Workforce Commission delays work search requirement for unemployed Texans
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Workforce Commission will pause work search requirements for now, the agency confirmed to ABC13 on Tuesday.
The requirement of actively searching for employment in order to continue receiving unemployment benefits was set to resume next week, on July 6. It will be revisited at the end of July.
This also means that if you're receiving unemployment, you're not required to do anything aside from submitting a payment request.
On June 25, experts said the number of those looking for unemployment benefits in Texas was at an all-time high, noting that 3.4 million people have applied for unemployment since March, which is five years worth of claims in three months.
On the other hand, there are also a record numbers of new jobs.
In May, the Houston area added more than 70,000 jobs, which is the largest monthly jump in history.
The job search requirement also applies to self-employed individuals. If you're one of them though, the state says it doesn't mean you have to apply for jobs.
"Examples of this would be updating their website, posting new content to social media, networking with people in search of new clients," Texas Workforce Commission spokesperson Cisco Gamez said. Participating in a virtual job fair also counts as search activity.
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