AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas unemployment rate slipped to 6.2 percent in October.
The Texas Workforce Commission on Friday released jobless figures for last month and also September, when statewide unemployment was 6.3 percent.
Data for both months was delayed from the original schedule due to this fall’s federal government shutdown. TWC officials also rely on national figures from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The nationwide jobless rate for October was 7.3 percent.
In Fort Worth-Arlington, the jobless rate was 5.7 percent, down from 5.9 percent in September and down from 6 percent a year earlier. In the Dallas-Plano-Irving area, the rate was 5.9 percent, down from 6 percent in September and down from 6.1 percent a year earlier.
The chairman of the commission, Andres Alcantar, says the private sector in Texas recorded a strong annual growth rate of 2.9 percent in October, adding nearly 265,000 jobs over the year.
Midland had the lowest statewide jobless rate in October at 3.1 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the highest average unemployment in Texas last month at 10.1 percent.