AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas unemployment rate edged up slightly to 8.5 percent for August, and the job count fell for the first time in almost a year, the state's employment agency said Friday. The Texas Workforce Commission said the jobless rate increased from 8.4 percent in July, and the loss of 1,300 total nonfarm jobs was the first drop since last September.
The state is experiencing its highest unemployment rate in nearly 25 years, when it was reeling from the energy, real estate and banking crisis of the late 1980s.
"Texas continues to feel the pressure of a stagnant national economy," commission Chairman Tom Pauken said.
An uptick in private sector jobs was offset by the loss of 9,400 government positions, Pauken said.
Five of the 11 sectors shed jobs last month, which is higher than usual. The biggest gain came in education and health services, which added 9,600 positions. Professional and business services added 4,200 jobs.
The other big drop came in trade, transportation and utilities with 4,600 jobs lost.
Unemployment rates are adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe give a more accurate picture of the job market. Without the seasonal adjustment, the jobless rate in Texas fell to 8.5 in August from 8.7 percent in July.
Midland maintained the lowest local unemployment rate at 4.8 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area still has the highest rate at 12.6 percent, although that's down from the revised July figure of 13.1 percent. Local figures are not seasonally adjusted.
The preliminary local jobless rates for August, with revised July numbers in parentheses, were:
—Abilene 7.2 (7.5)
—Amarillo 5.9 (6.3)
—Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos 7.3 (7.6)
—Beaumont-Port Arthur 11.5 (11.5)
—Brownsville-Harlingen 12.5 (12.6)
—College Station-Bryan 6.9 (7.2)
—Corpus Christi 8.2 (8.4)
—Dallas-Plano-Irving 8.4 (8.7)
—El Paso 10.6 (10.9)
—Fort Worth-Arlington 8.3 (8.5)
—Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown 8.6 (8.9)
—Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 8.5 (8.8)
—Laredo 8.5 (8.8)
—Longview 7.2 (7.4)
—Lubbock 6.6 (7.2)
—McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 12.6 (13.1)
—Midland 4.8 (5.1)
—Odessa 6.5 (6.8)
—San Angelo 6.8 (7.2)
—San Antonio-New Braunfels 7.8 (8.2)
—Sherman-Denison 8.8 (9.1)
—Texarkana 8.0 (8.2)
—Tyler 8.3 (8.2)
—Victoria 7.1 (7.6)
—Waco 8.1 (8.4)
—Wichita Falls 7.6 (8.1)
___
Online:
www.twc.state.tx.us/
