Texas unemployment claims skyrocket as service industry shuts down

An increasing number of Texans are seeking unemployment benefits as business in the service and hospitality sectors slows to a crawl.

The number of unemployment insurance claims submitted to the Texas Workforce Commission from March 8-14 totaled 19,968, up nearly 60 percent from the same week a year prior, according to figures from the TWC. From March 1-14, the TWC has received a total of 37,170 unemployment insurance claims, a TWC spokesperson confirmed.

TWC data on the number of unemployment…