Texas unemployment rises

DALLAS While statewide unemployment rose in March, Odessa continued to see its unemployment rate decline with both cities posting the lowest number in the state.

The rate for Odessa went from 3.1 percent to 3 percent in March. Midland's unemployment rate remained steady at 2.6 percent.

The Texas unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent in March as an uptick in hiring was offset by an increase in people looking for work.

The ranks of the unemployed grew by an estimated 15,400 in March, to 494,400, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.

And initial claims for unemployment benefits rose 8.5 percent, to 56,901 in March.

However, the March jobless rate was only slightly higher than February's 4.1 percent, which was a record low, and the March figure remained below the national average of 5.1 percent. The number of jobs in Texas has grown 2.1 percent since March 2007, compared to a national increase of 0.4 percent in the same period.

The Workforce Commission said Texas employers added 13,500 jobs in March.

The biggest gain was in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which added 7,800 jobs. Leisure and hospitality added 4,300 jobs, according to the commission.

Smaller gains were reported in the education and health services sector and in natural resource and mining, which includes the oil and gas industry, the commission said.

"Our Texas economy continues to show significant underlying strength with gains of nearly 40,000 jobs during the last three months," Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken said.

Midland had the lowest March unemployment rate in the state, 2.6 percent, followed by Odessa and Amarillo.

The highest jobless rate in the state was in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area, at 6.4 percent.

The statewide numbers were adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe gives a better picture of the job market. Local figures are not seasonally adjusted.

Following are the preliminary March jobless rates for local areas in Texas, with revised February numbers in parentheses. The figures are not seasonally adjusted. The statewide unadjusted jobless rate was 4.2 percent in March, down from 4.3 percent in February.

Abilene 3.5 (3.5)

Amarillo 3.1 (3.2)

Austin-Round Rock 3.6 (3.6)

Beaumont-Port Arthur 5.4 (5.5)

Brownsville-Harlingen 5.8 (5.9)

College Station-Bryan 3.3 (3.3)

Corpus Christi 4.2 (4.3)

Dallas-Plano-Irving 4.3 (4.3)

El Paso 5.5 (5.5)

Fort Worth-Arlington 4.1 (4.2)

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown 4.1 (4.2)

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood 4.4 (4.5)

Laredo 5.0 (5.0)

Longview 3.7 (3.8)

Lubbock 3.3 (3.3)

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 6.4 (6.6)

Midland 2.6 (2.6)

Odessa 3.0 (3.1)

San Angelo 3.5 (3.5)

San Antonio 3.9 (4.0)

Sherman-Denison 4.7 (4.7)

Texarkana 4.3 (4.7)

Tyler 4.4 (4.4)

Victoria 3.4 (3.5)

Waco 3.9 (3.9)

Wichita Falls 3.9 (4.0)