by WES FERGUSON
Kyle employers were hiring in July. But new jobs didn’t keep pace with the growing labor market, and the citywide unemployment rate increased to 6.3 percent last month.
According to the Texas Workforce Commission, Hays County’s jobless rate also rose to 7.7 percent in July compared to 7.6 percent in June and 7.3 percent a year ago.
Local job seekers continue to fare better than people in Austin and other parts of the state. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.4 percent in July, the state’s highest unemployment rate since 1987.
The national unemployment rate was 9.1 percent.
Texas added 29,300 jobs last month, the workforce commission reported, with nine of 11 major industries registering employment gains.
“The good news for people coming to Texas is we’re adding many different kinds of jobs,” Ronny Congleton, a Texas Workforce commissioner representing labor, said in a written statement. “Because our economy is diverse, we’ve been able to continue offering opportunities to a diverse group of job seekers.”
In the city of Kyle, the number of jobs increased by nearly three dozen, from 12,511 in June to 12,545 in July. But the labor force also increased by 60, to 13,385 people. All told in July, 840 people were out of work and seeking employment in Kyle.
Hays County’s workforce also grew at a much faster pace than the creation of new jobs. Nearly 6,300 people were unemployed in July in Hays County.
