A study on conditions in the construction industry says that more than 40 percent of construction workers in Texas — about 300,000 — are either misclassified or paid under the table.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
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Economy
Guest Column: Are Students Prepared for Change?
The challenge for Texas leaders is: How do we ensure that our children can compete and thrive in this ever-changing economy?
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Interactive: Jobs Numbers by County, 2000-2012
Texas finished 2012 with an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, a significant improvement from two years ago, but still a long way away from the 4.6 percent unemployment in 2000. Explore the numbers all the way back to 2000 with this interactive.
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Economy
Lawmakers Considering Fees on Electric Cars
In search of new revenue for road construction and maintenance, Texas lawmakers are weighing whether to raise fees on electric cars, a move that is gaining ground in some other states.
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Economy
For Fourth Month in a Row, Texas Unemployment Rate Drops
The state’s unemployment rate fell for the fourth month in a row in December, capping off a drop of more than 1 percentage point in the rate since December 2011, the Texas Workforce Commission announced Friday.
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Economy
Budget Plans Target Incentives and Testing
The budget proposals released by lawmakers this week show an interest in revamping school testing and the state’s economic incentive programs.
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Economy
Dire Budget Estimate Fit With Prevailing Politics
The two-year-old revenue forecast used to justify massive cuts in the current state budget was wrong — and not by a little bit. But the conservative Legislature elected in 2010 wasn’t complaining.
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Economy
Combs Says Texas Lawmakers Will Have $101.4 Billion for Budget
A day before the start of the 2013 legislative session, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs delivered much-improved budget news compared with two years ago. Lawmakers will have $101.4 billion for their next two-year budget.
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Economy
School Finance Trial Will Influence Session, With or Without a Final Decision
A final decision in the school finance trial against the state involving more than two-thirds of its districts and charter schools likely won’t happen until after the lights go out in the 83rd Legislature. But that doesn’t mean what’s happening inside of the courtroom now won’t have an impact on policy under the pink dome.
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Economy
Spending-Limits Bill Serves as a Great Excuse
Some state lawmakers don’t trust themselves not to spend more money than they really think they should spend. They want a law that would tie their own hands.