Since the U.S. government shut down, the absence of new government data has hindered Workforce Solutions Borderplex’s understanding of El Paso’s workforce and economy.

Leila Melendez, CEO of Workforce Solutions Borderplex, the region’s workforce and business development agency, said El Paso’s unemployment statistics have not been updated since the shutdown.

“It makes it hard to understand what industries are being affected, if there are specific jobs or companies impacted,” Melendez said. “I feel we’re in the dark. We don’t know.”

The shutdown, entering its seventh week and now the longest in U.S. history, has halted the publication of key economic data by federal agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The latest labor force data available from the Bureau of Labor Sta

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