Workforce Solutions is the public workforce system in the Houston-Galveston region. We help employers build a stronger workforce and help people build careers.

If you are looking for a job, please click here.

Our newest employer service, Texas Back to Work provides cash incentives to employers that hire eligible candidates through Workforce Solutions. Your company can receive up to $2,000 for each eligible new hire.

The process is simple:
1. Contact Workforce Solutions to post your job opening.

2. Workforce Solutions will screen candidates that are both qualified for the position and meet eligibility guidelines for Texas Back to Work.

3. Interview screened candidates and select employees at your own discretion.

4. Notify Workforce Solutions of your selection.

5. If you hire a candidate presented by Workforce Solutions and retain the employee for at least 120 days, we send your company a check in the amount of $2,000 for each eligible employee.

I am an employer with one or more job openings and want to register for Texas Back to Work today.

I am an employer and I need more information before I can hire candidates with Texas Back to Work.

FAQs

I am looking for work, how do I qualify for Texas Back to Work?
Contact an Employment Counselor at your local Workforce Solutions Career Office.

What employers are eligible to participate?
An employer must have a work site in one of the following counties:

Are any employers excluded?
Governments and public agencies are not eligible to participate.

What about staffing companies?
Staffing companies can sign a three-party agreement that passes this wage subsidy on to its eligible employer customers as a way to strengthen customer loyalty.

What kind of candidates will you send me?
Candidates will be screened to match the requirements as indicated in your job posting. Qualified candidates for Texas Back to Work are skilled workers who are currently unemployed through no fault of their own.

How do I get paid?
Workforce Solutions will ask you to designate a company representative who can provide verifications of employment. When we verify that a candidate has been employed for 120 days, Workforce Solutions will send you a check for $2,000.

What if employment is terminated before 120 days?
Payment will be issued according to the following schedule:
• 30 to 59 days – $800
• 60 to 89 days – $1400
• 90 to 119 days – $1800

What kind of jobs can you help me fill?
Workforce Solutions can help you fill any type of job from unskilled labor to degreed professionals. However, eligible candidates would have earned less than $15 per hour at their last job.

Can my company still claim the tax credit under the federal HIRE Act?
Yes. Under the federal Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, enacted March 18, 2010, two new tax benefits are available to employers who hire certain previously unemployed workers. The first, referred to as the payroll tax exemption, provides employers with an exemption from the employer’s 6.2 percent share of social security tax on wages paid to qualifying employees, effective for wages paid from March 19, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

In addition, for each qualified employee retained for at least 52 consecutive weeks, businesses will also be eligible for a general business tax credit, referred to as the new hire retention credit, of 6.2 percent of wages paid to the qualified employee over the 52-week period, up to a maximum credit of $1,000. Visit irs.gov to learn more.

How does this affect WOTC?
Employees hired under Texas Back to Work may also qualify the employer to receive the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). Contact the Texas Workforce Commission’s WOTC unit at 1-800-695-6879 for more information.

What else?
• No employee can be displaced in order to hire an eligible individual with the intention of receiving an incentive payment.
• Employer doesn’t have employees for the position in lay-off status.
• The creation of this job opening will not infringe on any promotional opportunities of current employees.
• The employer is not involved in a strike, lockout or labor dispute.

Have another question?
Complete the inquiry form above and a Workforce Solutions representative will contact you.

Already registered?
Click here to download the Candidate Information Form.

Texas Back to Work is funded by the Texas Legislature and administered by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC.)