Layoffs in the manufacturing sector in Texas and Florida contributed to a jump in the number of workers who applied for unemployment benefits for the week ending June 8, according to data from the U.S. Labor Department.
Texas saw more than 2,300 new applications for unemployment—the most claims requested for a month since March, data shows—and brings the state's total to about 17,200.
While the week's data showed a jump in layoffs, the number of workers who sought jobless benefits were way below the 315,000 on April 4, 2020, as thousands lost work because of COVID-19-induced economic upheaval.
The state suggested that those who applied were from "layoffs in manufacturing, retail trade, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, and in health care and social assistance industries," according to the Labor Department.
Florida saw 8,900 new unemployment claims for the week ending June 8, a jump of more than 1,840 from the prior week, with manufacturing workers among those seeking benefits.
"Layoffs [were] in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, and in service industries," the Labor Department said.
https://www.newsweek.com/www-newsweek-com-texas-florida-hit-manufacturing-layoffs-19153