For the First Time in 16 Months, Jobless Rates in Texas Drop

As the economy shows signs of recovery, the job market is generally considered one of the last things to recover. This is why it comes as sort of a surprise that the jobless rate in Texas fell from 8.3 percent in October to 8 percent in November. For the past two months, Texas has added a total of 70,000 new jobs according to figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The last time the jobless rate dropped in Texas was in June 2008 when the rate fell from 4.5 percent to 4.4 percent.

Tom Paukin, The Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission was quoted as saying “Job growth coupled with a lower unemployment rate indicate a movement in a positive direction”.

The biggest job increases came from mining and logging industries with 5,100 jobs. Hospitality and leisure jobs grew by about 4,800. Jobs in the finance sector grew 4,700, and education and health jobs grew by 4,600.

Although Texas’s jobless rate is below the national average; Ronny Congleton, the commissioner representing labor was quoted as saying “Job growth in the last two months has been encouraging, however, we know many Texans are still out of work.”