TEXAS (1080 KRLD)- It took one day for the Texas Workforce Commission to reverse course on a requirement for those getting benefits
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the state jobless rate is hovering at about 13 percent. The May numbers also show that about 2.6 million Texans are out of work.
Unemployed Texans getting jobless benefits were supposed to be actively looking for a job starting this past Monday, but Tuesday the order was rescinded.
SMU business professor Mike Davis says in the best of times, it's hard to tell if people are job hunting. But due to the pandemic, going to interviews has become all but impossible.
"It's really hard to tell if someone is looking for work. How hard is it say I looked on one of the job search sites and couldn't find anything, or I made an inquiry. The truth is the work requirement was kind of meaningless.:
He says while Amazon and Wal-Mart may be hiring, that sort of work isn't for everyone. "There's an awful lot of people who don't have the skills to do what needs to be done. Unemployed waiters and bartenders aren't going to find work as a waiter or bartender anytime soon."
Davis adds the unemployment compensation right now is generous, and that, combined with health concerns, reduces the incentive to find work. "