Southwest Economy, Third Quarter 2020
Snapshot: Texas Employment Estimate Debuts
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ new Texas Weekly Employment Estimate (TWEE) is a timely tool to monitor evolving economic conditions while awaiting release of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ establishment survey of employment. Most of the data used in the weekly estimate come from private high-frequency sources, providing daily and weekly measurements based on things such as credit card transactions and cell phone mobility.
The TWEE contracted in July but showed considerable improvement in August (Chart 1). As daily new COVID-19 cases began increasing at the beginning of the summer—reaching new highs from early June to mid-July—jobs appear to have declined. However, COVID-19 cases have decreased markedly since the July highs, and employment growth has been steady.
The latest TWEE data should help the public anticipate what official releases will subsequently show.
—Adapted from Dallas Fed Economics, August 18, 2020
Southwest Economy is published quarterly by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.
Articles may be reprinted on the condition that the source is credited to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Full publication is available online: www.dallasfed.org/research/swe/2020/swe2003.
- COVID-19’s Fiscal Ills: Busted Texas Budgets, Critical Local Choices
- Texas Economy Mends in Fits and Starts from Pandemic’s Onslaught
- On the Record: Looking to Economics for Help in Addressing Enduring Discrimination
- Spotlight: Energy Sector Slow to Recover from Malaise Arising from Effects of Global Pandemic
- Go Figure: Vehicle Sales Highlight Surprising Resilience in Spending During Pandemic
- Snapshot: Texas Employment Estimate Debuts
- President’s Perspective
- Complete Issue (Print version)
