Unemployment in Gonzales County recovering from COVID-19 slump

Following a large spike in unemployment created by the COVID-19 economic crisis, Gonzales County and others in the area are seeing slow recovery, according to a Texas Labor Market Information report.

Gonzales County is located in the Golden Crescent Workforce Development Area, along with Lavaca, DeWitt, Victoria, Goliad, Jackson and Calhoun Counties. In May, unemployment rose in this region to 10.6%, 12.7% statewide and 13% nationwide, the highest it had been in the last decade. Employment rates gained roughly 2 to 3% across the board in June, with the area reducing its unemployment rate to 7.7%, the state to 8.9% and the nation to 11.2%.

Compared to June 2019, the regional unemployment rate was 4.4% higher in June 2020, 5.2% higher across the state and 7.4% higher for the country as a whole.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the industries accounting for the most employment in the area were trade, transportation and utilities as well as education and health services, making up 21.9% and 22.7% of all jobs, respectively. Most employment was also through private entities (82.1%) and local government (16.3%).

The average weekly wage during the fourth quarter of 2019 was $1,007 for the area, $1,187 for the state, and $1,185 across the country.