PORT ARTHUR — Texas added 38,000 jobs in August, giving the state a 259,500 employment increase from last year, according to a release from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The state’s unemployment rate for August was 7 percent, below the national rate of 8.2 percent. This marks the 28th-consecutive month of positive growth for the Texas job market, the release said.

According to the release, seven out of the 11 Texas job markets showed growth during August.

Overall, Texas gained approximately 139,200 jobs since this time last year and decreased it unemployment rate by 1.1 percent. Despite the state-wide improvements, Port Arthur has seen its unemployment rate increase from 15.6 percent last August to 17 percent this year.

Bill McCoy, the president of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, said employment figures can be elusive because only people who apply for jobs or unemployment benefits are counted.

“There are phantom workers,” he said. “Depending on who you talk to you get a different answer. It makes it hard to pin down how to solve the problems.”

With expansions on the way for surrounding refineries like Motiva, McCoy said the local job market has a very promising future. But the real question, he said, is how to get local residents in those jobs.

“It seems like the whole Golden Triangle is on the verge of major growth,” he said. “It’s just a puzzle for how to get the 4,000 unemployed we have here to get those jobs.”

McCoy said there is a “hard effort” to hire local residents, but the unemployment figures seem to stay the same regardless of new opportunities that arise.

“According to tax collections and rates, there’s an upswing in values,” he said. “But the numbers on unemployment rates are still negative. It seems that no matter how many people we hire and how many new businesses open, the numbers stay the same.”

Robert Foster, a labor market analyst for the TWC, said it is very possible the Port Arthur job market sees some inflation because so many workers come from outside of the area. However, those workers still count for the overall state figures.

The state service industry added 6,900 jobs in August, according to the release, and has seen 48,900 positions created since last year. The trade, transportation and utilities industries expanded by 13,100 positions, its largest gain since January.

Leisure and hospitality added 4,600 jobs in August, a 4.6 percent growth, the release said. Mining and logging grew by 3,400 positions in August, a 9 percent growth.

Foster said the state’s economy is so strong because it has very versatile industries.

“We have petrochemical, technical, medical, coal- there are just so many more occupations in Texas,” he said.

Foster said school starting also helps the market, as district employees are brought back after a summer hiatus. The retail industry is also gearing up for the holiday season, which requires more workers, Foster said.