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November 21, 2009
The three-county Longview metro area added about 400 jobs between September and October as the area's unemployment rate dropped to 8 percent, according to Texas Workforce Commission figures released Friday.
The unemployment rate dipped from 8.2 percent in September and represented the first monthly decline in several months, officials said.
State figures showed 102,500 people were on the job in Gregg, Rusk and Upshur counties in October, up from 102,100 in September.
"The additional good news behind these figures is that manufacturing steadied after five months of decline," according to John Stroud, executive director of the Longview Economic Development Corporation.
Manufacturing is important to the region because of its economic impact, he said. Manufacturing jobs in the three counties stood at about 12,400, according to the state.
"We are still watching the energy sector to see what will happen to drilling activity that is expected to increase in the first quarter of 2010," Stroud said.
While representing a drop in the unemployment rate from the prior month, the Longview Metropolitan Statistical Area's rate remains considerably higher than a year ago. In October 2008, the local unemployment rate stood at 4.3 percent.
The Longview area unemployment rate in October was slightly better than the statewide non-seasonally adjusted average of 8.1 percent but was better than the national unemployment rate of 9.5 percent.
Texas Workforce Commission officials said total non-agricultural employment in Texas increased by 41,700 positions in October.
The state reported significant increases in the professional and business services and education and health services sectors of the economy. In the Longview area, government employment added 500 jobs from September, while the health and education services area added another 100 jobs.
On the down side, the biggest Longview area decline came in the leisure and hospitality sector, which lost 100 jobs between September and October, the state reported.
The manufacturing; mining logging and construction sector and trade, transportation and utilities sectors all remained stable from September to October, officials reported.
"In October, the Texas job market regained some lost ground experienced over the past several months, although it is too soon to indicate a trend," said Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken.
"The Texas unemployment rate continued to edge upward as our state continues to feel the effects of the national economic downturn."
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Longview area employment
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Month |
Civilian labor |
Employed |
Unemployed |
Jobless rate
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Sept. 2009 |
111,200 |
102,100 |
9,100 |
8.2%
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|
Oct. 2009 |
111,400 |
102,500 |
8,900 |
8.0%
|
Source: Texas Workforce Commission
http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/11/21/11212009_unemployment.html
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