Unemployment surges in El Paso with over 28,000 jobless in wake of virus closures

EL PASO, Texas -- The number of jobless El Pasoans continues to surge, with over 5,500 new applications for unemployment filed last week, according to newly-released data Monday night from Workforce Solutions Borderplex.

Jobless claims for the month of April thus far in the El Paso area have now exceeded 12,000. By comparison, there were nearly 16,000 claims filed for the entire month of March.

That brings the total number of people who have lost their jobs to more than 28,000 since the coronavirus-related closures began last month.

It's worth noting that the numbers already available don't include those out-of-work El Pasoans who have struggled to file unemployment claims because they can't get through to the Texas Workforce Commission, which has been inundated by people across the state seeking aid.

Below is a look at El Paso area's growing unemployment crisis in four charts provided by Workforce Solutions Borderplex.