Area Unemployment Up

AUSTIN — Unemployment in Tyler and Longview has gone up slightly. The Texas workforce commission reports Tyler’s unemployment rate in March was 4.3%. It was 4.1% in February. Longview’s unemployment rate last month was 5.4%. It was 5.2% in February. In March of last year both cities had a 4.4% unemployment rate. Texas added an estimated 185,000 seasonally adjusted jobs over the past year. The state’s easonally adjusted unemployment rate maintained a 4.3% rate in March, the same as February. It is still below the national average of 5%.

Texas’ total nonfarm seasonally adjusted employment decreased by 12,000 jobs in March’s preliminary estimate. This comes on the heels of an impressive string of 11 straight months of job growth for the state.

Employment in the Leisure and Hospitality industry increased by 2,400 jobs in March, representing an increase for the 12th consecutive month . Over the year, this industry has gained 75,600 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities employment rose for a fifth straight month with the addition of 800 positions in March. These gains were offset by losses in other industries including mining and logging which lost 7,500 jobs in March.

The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) boasted the lowest not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the state at 3.0% followed by the Austin-Round Rock MSA with a rate of 3.1% and the Lubbock MSA with a rate of 3.3% for March.