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Unemployment rate in El Paso continues to rise


Money (credit: KFOX14/CBS4)
Money (credit: KFOX14/CBS4)
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As the economy slowly bounces back, business owners are struggling to fill open positions.

According to data from Workforce Solutions Borderplex, the number of people in El Paso seeking unemployment benefits has risen for 5 weeks.

“It comes back to considering what wages should be and what employers need to consider as far as what we need to pay,” said Bianca Cervantes, the communications director for Workforce Solutions Borderplex.

Jamie O'Hara has been out of work since March of last year.

The 57-year-old has bounced around from job to job. He first worked in the food service industry and eventually became a magician.

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“Every single one of my jobs, I was in front of a crowd or in the middle of a crowd, and crowds are problematic when we’re in a pandemic,” said O’Hara.

O’Hara makes $460 a week on unemployment. While that may not seem like a lot of money, O’Hara said it pays the bills.

“I don't like the idea of calling in and getting a paycheck for doing nothing, but what can you do? The world is closed. We were already kind of scraping by. My wife is a school teacher and we’re paying down a bunch of debts. Had this not happened, we would have actually lost our home,” said O’Hara.

Cervantes said a lot of workers are making more money while unemployed compared to their former jobs. Cervantes said that is especially true for lower-wage earners, who are concentrated in specific industries like retail, manufacturing and food services.

Workforce Solutions Borderplex helps match employers with potential hires, but Cervantes said most people applying to jobs and scheduling interviews, just don’t show up.

“Maybe they are just barely getting by, but there aren’t many other routes they could take,” said Cervantes.

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According to Workforce Solutions Borderplex, there are currently over 10,000 open job positions in El Paso. Cervantes said that could change once unemployment runs out in early September.

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