TWC: Houston-area unemployment stabilizes

Houston Business Journal

Unemployment in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area was stable in March, according to the latest figures from the Texas Workforce Commission .

According to the report released Friday, 6.5 percent, or 183,500 people, were without jobs in March, matching the unemployment rate in February, but up from 4.2 percent in March 2008.

The leisure and hospitality sector gained another 5,100 jobs during the month, while the trade, transportation and utilities sector rallied to add 4,300 jobs, compared with the 4,700 jobs lost in the sector the previous month. The government sector added 1,000 jobs.

The construction industry, which had gained 900 jobs in February, lost 2,200 positions in March. Manufacturing was down by 1,500 jobs, along with the mining and logging sector, which lost 1,000 jobs during the month.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment in Texas was up to 6.7 percent in March, according to the report, up from 6.5 in February and 4.6 percent in March 2008. Nonagricultural employment fell by 47,100 during March in the state.

The TWC revised its February data to show that Texas employers lost 52,400 jobs during that month. Texas recorded a net loss of 106,500 jobs in the past 12 months, compared with job losses of 4.8 million nationwide during the same period.

The state's unemployment rate is two percentage points lower than that of the United States, which increased to 8.5 percent in March, up from 8.1 percent in February.