Texas’ job economy continued to grow in June with the addition of 40,200 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs. This is the 12th month in a row that the number of state jobs has increased. Without being seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate did increase slightly across the state but decreased compared with June of last year.
The areas with the highest unemployment rates, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, are concentrated around the coast and southern border. The Amarillo and Austin Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, recorded the month’s lowest unemployment rate among Texas metros with a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 3.4 percent, followed by the Midland MSAs with a rate of 3.5 percent. The College Station-Bryan MSA registered a 3.8 percent unemployment rate for June.
“Texas employers added 319,300 jobs over the past year, with ten out of eleven industries adding jobs in the dynamic Texas economy,” Texas Workforce Commission chair Andres Alcantar said in a statement. “TWC will continue to support strategies that boost the job creation efforts of Texas employers and equip Texas students and workers with in-demand skills." By comparison, Houston’s unemployment rate continues to trend higher than the Austin and Dallas-Plano metro areas.
The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Data is released each month by the Texas Workforce Commission.