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Unemployment in Houston

The trends and rates of unemployment in Houston are constantly changing, but employees still have legal rights when it comes to losing a job. Whether you’ve been fired from a position, subjected to a layoff, or just simply resigned, there could be forms of legal action to take or benefits to apply for.

If you need advice on an employment law issue, including advice on unemployment benefits, you should speak with a Houston employment lawyer. Houston employment lawyers can assess your legal issue and can tell you how to file a claim for unemployment compensation. You can find a local lawyer by viewing FindLaw's directory of Houston employment lawyers.


Recently in Unemployment Category

Houston Unemployment Rate Now At 8.6 Percent

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The unemployment rate in the Houston area rose to 8.6 percent in November 2010 after holding a steady unemployment rate of 8.2 percent for the prior two months. Yet the Houston Business Journal reports that the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area is continuing to add jobs around the holiday season.

The Business Journal cited a report released by the Texas Workforce Commission, which stated that there were about 10,900 non-agricultural jobs added to the Houston area last month. Most of these new jobs were in the trade, transportation and utilities sector. Unfortunately, the thousands of new jobs in the metropolitan area were outweighed by 11,700 people in Houston that joined the ranks of unemployment last month.

High Unemployment Rate For College Graduates

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The unemployment rate for Americans with at least a bachelor's degree rose to 5.1 percent last month, which USA Today reports as the highest unemployment rate among college grads since the year 1970. The national unemployment rate also rose to 9.8 percent from 9.6 percent last month.

A high unemployment rate among college graduates could be problematic around the country and in the state of Texas, because students often graduate from college with loans. Not being able to pay off student loans or other bills could drive some individuals into debt. Economists now know that times are tough when the college unemployment rate is at a 40 year low.

Millions of People to Lose Unemployment Benefits This Month

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Nearly two million people across the country will no longer be receiving unemployment benefits this month, as Congress voted not to renew extended jobless benefits by November 30. Unless Congress changes its mind, MSNBC reports that benefits that had been extended up to 99 weeks will end.

People that are jobless will still be able to collect benefits, but compensation will expire after just six months of unemployment. This puts millions of unemployed individuals in a financially unstable position right before the holiday season.

Texas Back to Work Program Wins Award

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It's no wonder Texas has an unemployment rate of only 8.4 percent, far below the national unemployment rate. The state has developed some good initiatives to get people on Unemployment Insurance back to work.

The Texas Workforce Commission reports that the Texas Back to Work program recently won a national award at the 2010 National Conference on Unemployment Insurance in Washington D.C. for innovating a new strategy when it comes to reemployment. The program, which is funded by the Texas Legislature, provides up to $2,000 in wage subsidies to Texas employers for hiring qualified individuals who are currently receiving or have received Unemployment Insurance benefits within the last year.

Texas Unemployment Rate Rises

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While the Texas unemployment rate rose slightly in the month of August, the Lone Star State's jobless rate still fares better than the rest of the country as a whole.

The Deer Park Broadcaster reported that the Texas unemployment rate for August 2010 was at 8.3 percent, which is slightly up from July's 8.2 percent rate of unemployment. The unemployment rate at the national level was at 9.5 percent for the month of August, which is also an increase from the month of July.

Jobless Rate in Texas Continues to Fall

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According to the Alvarado post, the Texas unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent in June 2010, which was down from 8.3 percent in May 2010. With these numbers, things are certainly looking optimistic for employment in the Lone Star state, especially since the U.S unemployment rate is sitting way above the state unemployment rate at 9.5 percent.

New Job Creation For June Takes a Dive Nationwide

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Unemployment rates spiked up a bit last month, when the country saw a decrease in new job creation, according to the New York Times. News reports say that the nation lost 125,000 jobs in the month of June, but that this trend in job loss is mostly due to the large number of temporary federal Census workers that left their jobs.

The United States added just 83,000 jobs across in the country in June. This number may seem like steady growth to some people, but economists say that the country needs to add about 130,000 jobs each month so that the economy can keep pace with all the new workers entering the market. The median duration of unemployment rose to about 25.5 weeks in the month of June, which is up from 23.2 weeks in May.

How to File an Unemployment Insurance Appeal

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After the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) reviews a request for Unemployment Insurance, the Commission will issue their decision based on the information you and your employer provide. If you do not agree with TWC's decision, you may appeal the decision by requesting an Unemployment Insurance hearing.

When is a Person Entitled to Unemployment Benefits?

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If a person is put out of work at no fault of his or her own, then that person is usually entitled to receive unemployment compensation. This compensation is meant to provide temporary financial help to people who are actively searching for full-time work after they've been put out of a job.

The Texas Unemployment Compensation Act is the law that governs the unemployment insurance benefits in the state of Texas. Under this law, Texans are allowed to collect money during unemployment when they have earned wages in at least two of the past four base period calendar quarters. Wages during this base period are used to calculate the benefit amounts that you will receive.

Employee Suing RK Resources Over Unemployment Benefits

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Unemployment compensation can be very valuable for workers who were recently put out of a job. So if a person is denied unemployment benefits, when he or she believes that they're entitled to such benefits, then it may be a good idea to call a Houston employment lawyer and learn about the possibilities of filing a legal claim in order to collect unemployment compensation.

The Southeast Texas Record reports that a woman from Galveston County is now suing her former employer RK Resources and the Texas Workforce Commission over unemployment benefits. The plaintiff, Angie Smith, says that she qualifies to receive the unemployment benefits because she involuntary separated from her company when she was informed that her salary was going to be reduced.