Dateline: February 9, 2006
Unemployment rate drops back to 3.5%
Donley County’s
unemployment rate remained at a four-year low in December, dropping back
to October’s 3.5 percent after ticking up to 3.7 percent in November.
The seasonally
non-adjusted data from the Texas Workforce Commission shows 1,809 employed
locally out of a potential work force of 1,875.
That’s down from
unemployment rates of 4.7 percent in August and 3.9 percent in September.
The rate for December 2004 was 4.8 percent when 1,795 people were employed
out of a work force of 1,885.
The statewide
December unemployment rate of 5.1 percent represented a two-tenths of a
percentage point decrease from the November rate of 5.3 percent.
Seasonally Adjusted Nonagricultural Employment in Texas rose by 13,400
jobs in December, which marked sixteen straight months of over-the-month
employment increases. Annual growth for Total Nonagricultural Employment
ended December at 153,500 jobs, for an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent.
“The brightest news
for the year is significant job growth across every industry sector,”
said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chair Diane Rath. “When employers
add jobs as they did throughout 2005, more opportunities are available for
Texans in the workforce.”
The annual growth
rate in Construction rose to 3.2 percent in December and has remained in
positive territory since March 2005.
“As the economy
expands, Texas employers continue to add jobs to meet the demands of the
marketplace,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ron Lehman.
“A 1.6 percent annual job growth rate spread across all industries is an
encouraging economic indicator.”
“The lower
unemployment rate is directly tied to the availability of jobs,” said
TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “The Texas labor
force is 11.3 million strong, and with job growth, opportunities are
available for all.”
Initial claims for
unemployment compensation in December were 63,436, down 30.6 percent from
December 2004 and down 19.2 percent from December 2003.