By Sherry Koonce
The News staff writer
Keeping with statewide trends, the number of jobless in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area during the month of October showed signs of stabilizing with only a tenth of a percentage point separating the latest month’s unemployment totals from those prior.
Figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission Friday indicate the unemployment rate for the Beaumont-Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area, at 10.8 percent, rose only slightly from 10.7 percent in September.
Port Arthur, with 15.2 percent unemployed compared to September rates of 15.3 percent, reflected the area’s only decrease in the rate of people without jobs. According to the TWC, an additional 14 people were employed during the month of October, bringing the total to 20,293.
Jefferson County’s jobless rate was up from 10.7 in September to 10.9 percent in October. The number reflects 69 jobs gained in the county, from 102,505 in September to 102,574 in October.
The rate of unemployed in Beaumont rose to 9.8 in October from 9.4 the previous month. Beamont gained 33 jobs over the previous month, from 49,198 employed in September to 49,231 in October.
Area wide an additional 111 jobs were added in the Beaumont-Port Arthur MSA, from 163,447 in September to 163,558 in October.
Robert Foster, Texas Workforce Solutions labor market analyst for Southeast Texas, said construction jobs were down slightly, possibly from the number of rainy days in October.
“The economy is still pretty strong here, even with the high unemployment rate we have,” Foster said.
The area continues to have the second largest number of unemployed in the state, coming in behind McAllen-Edinburg-Mission with 11.2 percent unemployed.
Statewide, the TWC noted jobs gains in education and health services, professional and business services, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, and trade, transportation and utilities.
Construction employment continued to experience job losses across the state with 9,400 jobs lost last month.
Statewide, the Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose slightly to 8.3 percent in October, up from 8.2 percent a month ago. The figure is well below the U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 10.2 percent.
“In October, the Texas job market regained some lost ground experienced over the past several months, although it is too soon to indicate a trend,” Tom Pauken, Texas Workfirce Commission Chairman, said. “The Texas unemployment cntinued to edge upward as our state continues to feel the effects of the national economic downturn.”
