Unemployment

From calling creditors to announcing your job loss on social media, a solid game plan can make a layoff sting a lot less.

The Texas Workforce Commission reports statewide employment reached a new high in November, while the unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.2%.

Mississippi, Missouri, Alaska and Iowa are ending the extra $300-a-week unemployment benefit provided as part of COVID-19 relief in a controversial bid to get people back to work.

Citing a severe shortage of workers, half of the nation's governors have decided to end extra federal jobless benefits months early. But an economist says that will set back households and businesses.

The unemployment rate in Texas was 6.9% in March, which is more than double the record low of 3.4% in May 2019. The extra $300 federal benefit will end June 26 for jobless Texans.

Retail sales jumped nearly 10% in March, as shoppers, flush with $1,400 relief payments, are feeling more confident about venturing out. Weekly unemployment claims dropped to a pandemic low.

December is typically the busiest month for the Central Texas Food Bank. As COVID-19 cases spike around the holidays, the food bank anticipates the need for food will only increase in the months ahead.

If Congress doesn't compromise and pass another relief bill, a new study finds a staggering number of Americans will lose a critical financial lifeline as the pandemic worsens.

Millions of Americans who lost jobs during the pandemic are in danger of having their incomes cut for a second time. The sudden halt in payments would be felt in households and throughout the economy.

Texas' economy is taking a catastrophic hit — and hundreds of thousands of Texans are out of work — as officials shutter businesses and limit some…