Job growth continued in Texas in April, pushing the unemployment rate down to 6.9 percent statewide and 6.3 percent in Fort Worth-Arlington.
Texas added 13,200 jobs, led again by gains in the private sector, giving the state 225,000 new jobs in the past 12 months, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday. That's more than any other state.Private employers added 12,200 jobs over March and were up 277,100 from a year ago, the commission said."The Texas economy continues to add jobs, with 10 of 11 major industries growing over the past year," commission Chairman Andres Alcantar said in a statement.The state's unemployment rate was 7 percent in March and 8 percent in April 2011. By comparison, the U.S. rate was 8.1 percent in April.Eight of the state's 11 major industries posted gains in April. Construction added the most jobs, 7,300, and was up 14,100 jobs from a year earlier. The trade, transportation and utilities sector was up 2,900 in April and 42,300 from a year earlier.Cheryl Abbot, regional labor economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Dallas, said Texas' job growth is moving along at 2.1 percent annually, compared with 1.4 percent for the U.S."We're still showing a nice rate of growth," she said.Except for government, which includes public schools, all major industry segments have gained jobs from a year ago, Abbot noted."The loss in government jobs is actually acting as a drag on the overall rate increase, but that's also happening nationally," she said.Mining, which includes energy, continues to add jobs: 400 in April and 33,900 from a year earlier. While natural gas drilling has slowed considerably in the Barnett Shale, drilling for oil has surged in South and West Texas."It's still growing at 15 percent over the year," Abbot said. "Even though it's a small sector, that little sector is adding almost as many jobs as we're seeing in some of the huge sectors."Fort Worth-Arlington's jobless rate fell from 7.5 percent a year earlier. Job growth in the Metroplex is running about 1.8 percent over a year earlier, a bit slower than the state as a whole. Leisure and hospitality and manufacturing grew the most in the area in the past year.Statewide, education and health services, which includes private education, was up 2,500 jobs in April and 49,100 from a year ago.Other Texas categories:Manufacturing, up 6,300 jobs in April, up 25,400 from a year earlier.Information, up 800 in April, up 2,100 from a year earlier.Financial activities, down 1,900 in April, up 13,800 from a year earlier.Professional and business services, down 2,600 in April, up 39,500 from a year earlier.Leisure and hospitality, down 4,300 in April, up 42,600 from a year earlier.Other services, up 800 in April, up 14,300 from a year earlier.Government, which includes public schools, up 1,000 in April, down 51,300 from a year earlier.Scott Nishimura, 817-390-7808
Fort Worth-Arlington job growth
Fort Worth-Arlington had 16,300 more jobs in April than it did a year earlier.
| Industry | April jobs | Change from year earlier |
| Mining, logging and construction | 56,400 | 2,800 |
| Manufacturing | 90,900 | 4,000 |
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 201,100 | 3,500 |
| Information | 13,700 | -100 |
| Financial activities | 55,500 | 2,700 |
| Professional and business services | 97,800 | 1,300 |
| Education and health services | 113,200 | 3,300 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 96,500 | 4,200 |
| Other services | 31,800 | 300 |
| Government | 120,100 | -5,700 |
Source: Texas Workforce Commission
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