Need a job? Texas launches website to connect people with work.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced the launch of a job-finding website developed by the Texas Workforce Commission to help connect unemployed Texans with work.

The site, workintexas.com, lists nearly 500,000 job openings across the state and allows users to search by ZIP code to find work in their area.

Roughly 650 new jobs were posted to the site Tuesday and nearly 2 million active resumes have been received, according to figures available on the Work in Texas website.

Abbott said the Texas Workforce Commission has filled nearly 1.6 million unemployment claims, about 80% of the eligible claims, since the coronavirus arrived in Texas. More than $1.4 billion has been paid out for those claims.

Additional staff and extended hours at the commission should allow claims to be processed more quickly, he said, as many report difficulties filing for unemployment benefits through the commission’s website.

The unemployment rate in the Austin metro area rose to 3.5% in March, up from a 20-year low of 2.6% in February, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday

The statewide jobless rate jumped from 3.6% in February to 4.7% in March, according to the workforce commission.

But those figures haven’t caught up with the true havoc that the virus has wrought on the job market, experts have said.

The governor said some companies, including H-E-B, Amazon and Randalls are hiring statewide.

"As we continue to slow the spread of COVID-19, we are also working to alleviate the severe economic devastation that has impacted so many Texans," Abbott said. "People are ready to get to work and earn a paycheck again, and the state of Texas is committed to connecting Texans with the many job opportunities that exist throughout the state.“

In the Austin area, the website lists 500 jobs, including positions at the Texas School for the Blind, the General Land Office, Samsung Austin Semiconductors and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

On Tuesday, there were 152 positions listed around Burnet, 200 near Dripping Springs and 205 in Elgin.