Austin job picture brightens a bit

Apr 17, 2009

Austin American-Statesman

The Austin region’s job picture improved slightly in March with an uptick in the job growth rate and a small drop in the unemployment rate from February, according to figures released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The 6.2 percent unemployment rate was down slightly from 6.3 percent in February. But it remains well above the 3.8 percent rate from March 2008.

However, job growth was at a 0.4 percent annual rate, up from 0.2 percent in February. In February, Austin was the only one among the nation’s 50 largest metro areas to have any job growth.

Statewide, the jobless rate rose to 6.7 percent in March from 6.5 percent a month earlier. A year ago, the Texas unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.

Nationally, the jobless rate was 8.5 percent in March.

“The Texas unemployment rate remained well below that of the nation, although Texas suffered a net loss of jobs in March,” said Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken. The “national recession continues to have an impact.”