Texas adds 99,000 jobs; recovery gains momentum

Texas’ unemployment rate was unchanged between February and March, but the state added 99,000 jobs according to new data from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

The unemployment rate in March was 6.9% statewide, and in the Dallas-Fort Worth region it fell to 6.5% in March from 6.8% in February. D-FW added 19,500 jobs during the month of March.

The positive job numbers in March continue to demonstrate that Texas is on track for sustainable growth, ”said Bryan Daniel, TWC director, in a statement Friday.

The unemployment level in the region in March remains higher than it was a year ago, just before pandemic restrictions hit the North Texas economy. At the time, unemployment was at 4.6%.

Non-essential business closures resulted in mass layoffs and the loss of more than 250,000 jobs in the region in April 2020 and more in the months that followed, a historic blow from which the economy is still trying to recover.

The rise in jobs in the North Texas economy is a complete turnaround from the job losses in February, which economists attribute to the winter storm and statewide blackouts. February’s job loss is an exception as the state has added jobs for 10 of the last 11 months.

In Texas, the main job growth in March was seen in the oil and gas sector, which increased 5,500 jobs, and in the construction industry, which added 19,100 jobs. Even the hospitality sector, which includes hotels and other places to rest, as well as businesses linked to entertainment, saw an increase in jobs in March, with 23,100 new jobs compared to the previous month.