Texas unemployment rate for April holds steady at 5 percent

Employment

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas unemployment rate held steady during April at 5 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.

Last month’s jobless figure mirrored the March unemployment rate, according to a TWC statement . Nationwide unemployment for April was 4.4 percent.

In the Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), unemployment was 3.8 percent, down from 4.4 percent in March and equal to the rate a year earlier. In the Dallas-Irving-Plano MSA, unemployment was 3.8 percent, down from 4.2 percent in April and slightly up from 3.5 percent a year earlier.

Amarillo had the lowest unemployment across Texas last month at 3 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the state’s highest jobless rate for April at 8 percent, the commission reported.

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Texas has added 258,900 jobs over the past year, according to Andres Alcantar, commission chairman.

“Texas employers continue to create jobs in the broad based Texas economy with 10 of the 11 industries expanding over the year,” Alcantar said.

The Texas economy expanded in April with the addition of 30,400 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs. Manufacturing expanded by 8,100 jobs last month, according to the TWC.

Employment in the state’s education and health services industry recorded the largest private-industry gain over the month with 10,400 jobs added in April. Manufacturing employment grew by 8,100 jobs in April. Professional and business services employment expanded by 7,400 jobs, officials said.

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“Positive economic growth means continued employment opportunities for the expanding Texas labor force,” Commissioner Julian Alvarez said.

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Online:

http://www.twc.state.tx.us

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