TYLER, Texas — Nationwide, employment numbers are on the rise.
We checked with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to see if that trend applied here in East Texas.
Their latest data shows that in March, 7.1 thousand people were unemployed in Tyler. That's 400 less than in February and 5,000 less than the pandemic peak of 12,000 last April.
Stephen Lynch with Workforce Solutions East Texas said that in the past month, "We've seen our numbers increase at least 20 to 30%. the bottom line I think with the job seekers is, some of them are feeling a little bit more safe."
Though unemployment is improving, people are still searching for work and some industries are a lot easier to break into than others.
Tyler resident Renee Northcut said, “The search, it's been hard.”
She was without work for about a year during the pandemic, but has recently found a new job and is back on her feet.
“I've been blessed enough to have people take chances on a single mom of two kids. And it's hard to find that,” she said.
She works in landscaping and says that business has been steady… but can’t say the same for some of her friends.
"I know a lot of people who, you know, I'm not a sit behind a desk type person I never have been. So for the people who do that kind of work... I have a few friends on unemployment right now," she said.
Workforce Solutions said that no matter the industry, they are here to help residents find that next job at no cost to them. The program will be having a virtual job fair for the youth on May 13th. Around 1,200 high school students will be able to go online and apply for summer jobs with 40 different employers. You can find more information about it here.