Unemployment benefits end for thousands of jobless Texans - KSWO, Lawton, OK- Wichita Falls, TX: News, Weather, Sports. ABC, 24/7, Telemundo -

Unemployment benefits are ending for Texans who have been out of work for more than six months.

Many residents are wondering what affect this may have on the estimated 6,000 unemployed in our area.

The Texas Workforce Commission tells us as a result of the state's improving unemployment rate, Texas is no longer eligible for federally funded extended benefits, which has covered an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.

This concerns many jobless residents in our area who feel like they're losing their safety net.

All long-term unemployment insurance will eventually be phased out by the end of the year.

Congress has also cut down the maximum length of time a person can collect unemployment from 99 weeks to 73.

The good news, we're told Amarillo won't be affected as much as other cities in the state.

"Our labor market is just in a much better state and there's a lot of opportunity here in Amarillo. So individuals tend to find work quicker then you might find in other parts of the country. Our goal is to get individuals back employed within ten weeks or less, now that's not always the case but that's certainly something we measure and we're pretty good at it here in the panhandle," says Trent Morris, Texas Workforce Commission.

Workforce Solutions says they currently have around 400 jobs in their database.

For information on how you can find the latest job postings go to www.workintexas.com.