Austin (WBAP/KLIF) _ After being slammed with new unemployment claims related to coronavirus layoffs, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has made drastic changes.
TWC Executive Director Ed Serna says the agency is very familiar with dealing with emergencies like hurricanes, flooding, ice storms and the like, but the nature and scope of the current crisis overwhelmed website and call centers.
“We have 4 call centers around the state staffed by our employees. On a normal day we take 13-14,000 calls. On the 22nd of March, we took 100, 000 calls.”
To handle the influx of new claims the agency added Internet server capacity and expanded call center hours to include Saturdays.
It has also eliminated work search requirements, along with the one week waiting period for new claims and will not deduct debt owed from previous unemployment claims from new benefits.
Listen to message from Texas Workforce Commission chief Ed Serna:
Missed our Unemployment Benefits Town Hall Facebook Live?
[See the replay of it here]#covid #covid19 #coronavirus #texas #unemployment https://t.co/JEcA8ZdPop— Texas Workforce Commission (@TXWorkforce) March 25, 2020
Meantime the US Labor Department this today that jobless claims soared this week to over 3.3 million.
The surge in weekly applications for benefits far exceeded the previous record set in 1982. Layoffs are sure to accelerate as the U.S. economy sinks into what most economists expect to be deep and painful recession. Revenue has collapsed at restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, gyms and airlines.
Auto sales are plummeting, and car makers have close factories. Most such employers face loan payments and other fixed costs, so they’re forced to cut jobs to save money.
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims
Initial claims were 3,283,000 for the week ending 3/21 (+3,001,000).
Insured unemployment was 1,803,000 for the week ending 3/14 (+101,000).https://t.co/ys7Eg5LKAW
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) March 26, 2020
(Copyright 2020 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News)
