The Texas jobless rate held steady in March at 6.9 percent, but there was a slight improvement in the Rio Grande Valley, although the region still ranks near the top for the number of unemployed workers.
Texas gained 99,000 total nonagricultural jobs over the month, marking a positive move for 10 of the last 11 months. Private sector employment increased 106,600 for the month.
“Positive job numbers for March continue to show Texas is on track for continued growth,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “TWC will continue to provide flexible and innovative training programs to help provide all Texans with skills they can use for workforce success.”
Here in the Valley, the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area’s jobless rate dropped from 12.0 percent to 11.2 percent in March. It still remains the highest in the state, edging Odessa, which had an unemployment rate of 11.0 percent.
In the Brownsville-Harlingen MSA, the March rate dropped to 10.0 percent from 10.9 percent the previous month.
All industries except the government sector added jobs over the month, while four had series-high job gains dating back to 1990. In March, the Leisure and Hospitality industry led with 23,100 jobs while construction employment increased by 19,100 positions. The professional and business services industry followed with a gain of 14,800 jobs.
“That Texas added over 100,000 private sector jobs in the midst of a pandemic is extraordinary,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “This is great news for the workers of Texas …”
The Amarillo MSA recorded March’s lowest unemployment rate in the state at 4.9 percent, followed by the Austin-Round Rock MSA and College Station-Bryan MSA, which were tied for the second-lowest rate of 5.3 percent.
