LOCAL JUNE UNEMPLOYMENT UP FOR WASHINGTON, AREA COUNTIES

Josh Blaschke July 23, 2018

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Washington County’s unemployment rate experienced an uptick over June.

The county’s jobless rate stood at 4.3 percent over June, the highest it’s been since August of 2017, which was 4.6 percent.

Numbers from the Texas Workforce Commission show the increase can be attributed to the county’s labor force dropping to 14,992 workers, compared to 15,054 in May. Total employment for the month of June was 14,346, as opposed to 14,546 in May.

Surrounding counties also experienced a rise in unemployment rates:

Austin County: 4 percent, up from 3.5 percent in May; Brazos County: 3.4 percent, up from 2.6 percent; Burleson County: 4.1 percent, increasing six-tenths; Fayette County: 3.1 percent, compared to 2.7 percent, Grimes County: 4.8 percent, up from 4 percent; Lee County: 3.3 percent, up four-tenths; and Waller County: 4.9 percent, up from 4 percent.

The state added over 27,000 seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs in June, marking 24 straight months of employment growth. The private sector brought over 26,000 new positions in June. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 4 percent, down slightly from May.

The state has added almost 360,000 jobs over the year, with an annual employment growth rate of 2.9 percent.

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