Texas jobless rate holds steady at 8.2 percent; weather delays release of detailed job figures

Texas jobless rate holds steady at 8.2 percent

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ unemployment rate held steady at 8.2 percent for the third consecutive month despite the loss of 13,000 jobs in February, state officials said Thursday.

The Texas Workforce Commission said the job losses offset a revised January gain of 12,600 jobs. The civilian work force in Texas grew by 40,200 and now stands at 12.1 million workers, according to commission figures.

The state’s jobless rate remained below the national figure of 9.7 percent.

“Although this serious national recession continues to have a negative impact here in Texas, the unemployment rates appears to have stabilized,” commission Chairman Tom Pauken said.

The professional and business services sector gained 9,000 jobs for its largest monthly increase in more than two years. Most other sectors lost jobs, led by trade, transportation and utilities with 7,700 losses and construction at 4,600.

“While it is encouraging to see job gains in February across several major employment sectors, our job market remains tight for those seeking new opportunities in the Lone Star State,” said Ronny Congleton, the commissioner representing labor.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits dropped 21 percent, from 108,752 in January to 86,282 in February, according to commission figures.

Unemployment rates are adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe gives a better picture of the job market.

Without seasonal adjustments, the state’s jobless rate was 8.3 percent in February, down from 8.6 percent in January.

Amarillo had the lowest local rate, which is not seasonally adjusted, at 5.7 percent in February. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area was the highest at 11.8 percent.

The following are preliminary February jobless rates for specific areas of Texas, with revised January numbers in parentheses.

Abilene 6.5 (6.7)

Amarillo 5.7 (6.0)

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos 7.2 (7.6)

Beaumont-Port Arthur 10.7 (11.0)

Brownsville-Harlingen 11.3 (11.5)

College Station-Bryan 6.0 (6.4)

Corpus Christi 8.0 (8.4)

Dallas-Plano-Irving 8.4 (8.7)

El Paso 9.6 (9.9)

Fort Worth-Arlington 8.4 (8.7)

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown 8.5 (8.8)

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 7.3 (7.8)

Laredo 9.3 (9.6)

Longview 7.9 (8.3)

Lubbock 6.0 (6.2)

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 11.8 (12.2)

Midland 5.8 (6.2)

Odessa 8.8 (9.2)

San Angelo 6.7 (7.0)

San Antonio-New Braunfels 7.4 (7.7)

Sherman-Denison 8.7 (8.9)

Texarkana 7.9 (7.9)

Tyler 8.0 (8.6)

Victoria 8.3 (8.4)

Waco 7.1 (7.4)

Wichita Falls 8.2 (8.4)