AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN continues to field your questions and concerns as it relates to unemployment benefits and the Texas Workforce Commission.
A tipster, who wished to remain anonymous, reached out to us about TWC’s Shared Work program. The tipster’s Shared Work claim was denied, as they now await unemployment benefits after filing an individual claim.
The agency’s Shared Work program allows employers to make up the gap, so to speak, when an employee loses wages because of reduced hours.
Under the program, an employer can reduce weekly work hours up to 40% for at least 10% of employees in an affected unit. The program is seen as an alternative to layoffs because the employee will then get both wages and Shared Work benefits.
According to TWC spokesman Cisco Gamez, 61,842 people statewide currently receive Shared Work benefits. Additionally, 1,756 employers have applied for the program, totaling 1,999 plans.
Overall, as of Wednesday, more than 2.6 million Texans have filed for unemployment and more than $6.4 billion has been paid out in benefits.
