The Texas unemployment rate is about half of what it was a year ago. The jobless rate dipped to 6.5% in May, down from the record of nearly 13% in April of last year. The decrease comes after Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month that Texas is opting out of federal jobless assistance as of June 26th to motivate people to go back to work. Economists say increased coronavirus vaccinations are stabilizing the state's economic recovery.