AUSTIN – The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell 0.3 percent to 6.3 percent in July, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
Texas added 80,900 nonagricultural jobs last month, marking gains in 14 of the last 16 months.
Texas’ job growth rate matched the nation’s at 0.6 percent. The Texas Real Estate Research Center forecasted a growth rate of 0.5 percent for July.
The state added 714,800 jobs since July 2020. The Texas economy now needs to gain almost 261,700 jobs to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Amarillo had the lowest nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the state at 4 percent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission had the highest at 10 percent.
All employment sectors had seasonally adjusted job gains since July 2020 except for construction. The leisure and hospitality sector’s employment jumped 20 percent over the year and gained 20,600 jobs over the month.
“Overall, this was a very encouraging employment report, but we still need to see the possible effects of the Delta variant on the economy in the coming months, as new cases and hospitalizations have risen,” said Dr. Luis Torres, research economist for the Center.
The Texas Real Estate Research Center has a wealth of economic information online for free.