Texas private sector adds 13,500 jobs in October

Houston Business Journal

Texas, unlike other many other states, gained 13,500 private sector jobs in October, adding to the more than 200,000 private sector jobs created since the start of 2011.

The Texas Workforce Commission    reported Friday that the Lone Star State has seen positive annual job growth for the past 18 months.

In the Houston-Sugar Land- Baytown area, the estimated civilian labor force in October was around 2.99 million compared to the September estimate of around 2.97 million.

Across the state, the mining and logging industry added an estimated 4,500 jobs in October and has grown by more than 20 percent in the past year. The trade, transportation and utilities industries also added an estimated 6,500 jobs in October.

In addition to job growth, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down to 8.4 percent in October. In September, the unemployment rate was 8.5 percent.

The national unemployment rate was 9 percent in October.