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Published July 18, 2008 08:25 pm - An increased labor force helped fill a handful of jobs in Port Arthur, but it also created an increase in the city’s unemployment rate. PA sees rise in unemployment as labor force grows The Port Arthur News By Amy Moore
The News staff writer An increased labor force helped fill a handful of jobs in Port Arthur, but it also created an increase in the city’s unemployment rate. According to numbers released Friday, the labor force increased by 256 people in Port Arthur over the last month and 271 more than last year at the same time. However, only 17 of those people were able to find work, forcing the unemployment rate to jump from 7.8 percent in May to 8.8 percent in June. The numbers aren’t much different county-wide either. Texas Workforce Commission reports show 113,356 people in the labor pool in Jefferson County during the month of May. That number rose to 114,358 in June but only 81 of those are employed. The county unemployment rate went from 5.8 percent last month to 6.5 percent in June. Last year the county’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent. Across the state employers now have added 245,000 jobs in the past 12 months, for an annual job growth rate of 2.4 percent, compared with a flat annual job growth rate nationally. The state’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.4 percent in June from 4.5 percent in May, up from 4.3 percent in June 2007. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.5 percent in June, up from 4.6 percent a year ago. “We remain cautiously optimistic as Texas continues to add jobs despite slowing national trends,” Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chairman Tom Pauken said. “It is encouraging to note job gains are broad-based across nearly all industries from construction to financial services to leisure and hospitality.” TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ron Lehman said the addition of nearly 48,000 jobs in June in the state is the second largest monthly job gain since July 2005. “Texas employers continue to show strong performance, countering tough economic conditions on the national front,” he said. 
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