TEXAS – During the month of July 2023, Texas border cities such as El Paso, Brownsville, Laredo and McAllen showed slight increases in their annualized unemployment rate, according to figures presented by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
According to TWC, total nonfarm employment increased by 26,300 jobs over the month to reach a 22nd consecutive series high at 13,969,100 jobs and achieved 29 straight months of growth. Since July 2022, employment in the state grew by 441,700 jobs.
The number of employed persons also reached a new record high by adding 34,800 persons during the month to reach 14,464,700. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.1% in July. Texas’ seasonally adjusted civilian labor force grew over the month to 15 million 078 thousand 400 in the seventh month of the year.
Leisure and hospitality led employment growth across all major industries, with 9 thousand 800 jobs added over the month. Manufacturing added 6,600 jobs, followed closely by private education and health services, which added 6,400 positions.
According to the TWC report, annual job growth in Texas through July 2023 was above the national rate in all but one of the top 11 sectors, Leisure and Hospitality. This industry has already recovered in Texas, while employment remains below the pre-COVID threshold nationally.
Midland achieved the lowest unemployment rate among Texas Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 2.9 percent in July, followed by Amarillo at 3.6 percent, then Austin-Round Rock, College Station-Bryan and Odessa at 3.8 percent, each.
The Midland metro area again posted the largest year-over-year percentage increase in the number of jobs in the country, not seasonally adjusted, while the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area ranked second in the total number of jobs added.
El Paso, recorded a non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate last July of 5.1 remaining above the 4.3 recorded the same month but in 2022. Brownsville had an unemployment rate of 6.2, up from 5.8 a year earlier.
Laredo registered an unemployment rate of 4.6 in July 2023, up from 4.1 the previous year; while McAllen reached 7.0 at the end of the seventh month, up from 6.8 in July 2022.
According to the figures presented, El Paso closed July with a total of 19,700 unemployed persons, contrasting with the 16,000 that were registered a year ago; while 362,100 citizens were working this year. In Brownsville, 11,200 people ended July without work, 800 more than those recorded in 2022, while 169,500 were employed.
The city of Laredo reported 5,500 unemployed, compared to 4,800 in July 2022, while 113,700 people were working in July 2023; in McAllen, 26,900 citizens were looking for work, 1,700 more than a year ago, while 355,700 people were employed at the end of July 2023.
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