Unemployment Up in Austin
The Austin area added jobs in June, but unemployment was up to 6.4 percent. Photo by andjohan, flickr.com/andjohan.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The unemployment rate ticked up in the Austin area last month, according to new numbers out today.
June’s unemployment rate was recorded at 6.4 percent. That was up from 5.8 percent in May. The change didn’t come as a complete surprise to Alan Miller, executive director of Capital Area Workforce Solutions.
“A lot of that, I think, is cyclical in nature,” Miller said. “You have to remember that June is the time that the schools get out. A lot of the teachers are off for the summer, so there’s some increase in unemployment insurance claims that accompany that traditionally.”
Overall, central Texas added more than 3,000 jobs, just not enough to keep up with people looking for work. Miller says job growth came in the business and professional services and construction.
“What we’re seeing is the impact of commercial construction,” Miller said, “and when you look at downtown Austin, we’ve got a skyline of cranes out there.”
The Austin area saw job losses in education and government. Statewide the unemployment rate bumped up slightly, to 7 percent.
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