Texas Unemployment Rate Falls To 4.2 Percent

DALLAS, TX. -(AP) – The statewide unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent in August, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday, due to a sharp decline in people counted as no longer looking for work.

The jobless rate had been 4.4 percent in July. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment rose by 10,400 jobs, but total civilian employment fell 23,700 from July, the commission said. Civilians counted as unemployed fell even more – by 36,200, or 7 percent, to 476,700. The statewide unemployment rate was adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe gives a better picture of the job market.

Midland had the lowest unemployment rate in the state, at 2.8 percent, with Odessa and Amarillo next at 3.3 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the highest rate, 6.1 percent. Local figures were not seasonally adjusted. Ron Lehman, who represents employers on the state commission, said companies are adding workers in many industries, especially services, which added 5,500 jobs in August.

The biggest increase was in government jobs, at 6,800. The leisure and hospitality industry added 3,500 jobs. Natural resources and mining, which includes the oil and gas industry, added 1,600 positions, as did education and health services. Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell 5.3 percent from July, to 55,986 in August. Following are the preliminary August unemployment rates for local areas in Texas, with revised July figures in parentheses.

The figures are not seasonally adjusted. The statewide unadjusted jobless rate was 4.1 percent in August.

Abilene 3.5 (4.1) Amarillo 3.3 (3.7) Austin-Round Rock 3.5 (4.0) Beaumont-Port Arthur 5.3 (5.9) Brownsville-Harlingen 5.6 (6.6) College Station-Bryan 3.7 (4.3) Corpus Christi 4. (4.9) Dallas-Plano-Irving 4.0 (4.6) El Paso 5.5 (6.4) Fort Worth-Arlington 4.0 (4.6) Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown 4.1 (4.6) Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 4.5 (5.2) Laredo 4.4 (5.3) Longview 3.9 (4.7) Lubbock 3.5 (4.2) McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 6.1 (7.2) Midland 2.8 (3.2) Odessa 3.3 (3.8) San Angelo 3.5 (4.1) San Antonio 4.0 (4.6) Sherman-Denison 4.5 (5.0) Texarkana 4.5 (5.2) Tyler 4.0 (4.6) Victoria 3.6 (4.1) Waco 4.2 (5.0) Wichita Falls 3.9 (4.5)

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)