Date: May 22, 2020
Media Contact: Cisco Gamez
Phone: 512-463-8556
Texas Workforce Commission Committed to Help Texans Find Work, Training and Resources
AUSTIN ⎯ Texas saw an increase in the state unemployment rate in April 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past month, the Texas economy lost 1,298,900 nonfarm positions. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 12.8 percent, below the national average of 14.7 percent.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a measurable effect on the Texas economy” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “While we will continue to provide assistance to those seeking unemployment benefits, many employers are hiring and TWC is working to provide resources to job seekers as well as employers as the state opens up.”
In April, all major industries in Texas experienced job loss over the month.
“As Texas continues to open, TWC is committed to providing job seekers the resources and opportunities needed to adapt to our changing economy,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “To help connect workers with available jobs, staff at workforce centers across the state are available to provide virtual job-search assistance.”
The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded April’s lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 8.8 percent, followed by the Abilene and the College Station-Bryan MSA which both recorded at 8.9 percent for the second lowest rate. The Lubbock MSA recorded the third lowest rate of 9.9 percent.
“We are here to not only help Texas employers match up with the skilled workers they need to recover but also to provide them with answers and the best information available as they safely and strategically reopen,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson. “TWC is committed to engaging with all businesses across Texas as we continue to strengthen our relationships and proactively work to create and expand opportunities for all. My office remains available to continue helping Texas employers navigate through this pandemic.”
Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit TexasLMI.com.
The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Data for May is scheduled to be released on Friday, June 19, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. (CDT).
| April 2020 | March 2020 | April 2019 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | |
| United States | 155,830.0 | 133,326.0 | 22,504.0 | 14.4 | 162,537.0 | 155,167.0 | 7,370.0 | 4.5 | 162,097.0 | 156,710.0 | 5,387.0 | 3.3 |
| Texas | 12,931.3 | 11,244.1 | 1,687.2 | 13.0 | 14,031.1 | 13,312.3 | 718.7 | 5.1 | 13,922.6 | 13,505.0 | 417.6 | 3.0 |
| Abilene | 70.9 | 64.7 | 6.3 | 8.9 | 78.1 | 74.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 78.2 | 76.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Amarillo | 119.0 | 108.6 | 10.4 | 8.8 | 131.7 | 126.9 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 131.8 | 129.0 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| Austin-Round Rock | 1,132.9 | 994.8 | 138.1 | 12.2 | 1,236.0 | 1,188.6 | 47.4 | 3.8 | 1,227.3 | 1,199.3 | 28.0 | 2.3 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | 162.7 | 133.2 | 29.5 | 18.1 | 173.2 | 159.0 | 14.2 | 8.2 | 172.8 | 164.9 | 7.9 | 4.6 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | 155.3 | 128.7 | 26.6 | 17.1 | 168.8 | 155.3 | 13.5 | 8.0 | 165.5 | 157.7 | 7.8 | 4.7 |
| College Station-Bryan | 123.0 | 112.1 | 10.9 | 8.9 | 137.3 | 131.9 | 5.4 | 3.9 | 135.2 | 132.1 | 3.0 | 2.2 |
| Corpus Christi | 186.1 | 156.6 | 29.5 | 15.9 | 205.2 | 192.5 | 12.7 | 6.2 | 206.2 | 198.8 | 7.4 | 3.6 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 3,686.0 | 3,215.9 | 470.1 | 12.8 | 3,962.0 | 3,778.1 | 183.9 | 4.6 | 3,923.0 | 3,811.4 | 111.6 | 2.8 |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving MD | 2,496.1 | 2,181.8 | 314.3 | 12.6 | 2,674.5 | 2,551.6 | 122.9 | 4.6 | 2,642.5 | 2,566.7 | 75.7 | 2.9 |
| Fort Worth-Arlington MD | 1,189.9 | 1,034.1 | 155.8 | 13.1 | 1,287.5 | 1,226.4 | 61.1 | 4.7 | 1,280.5 | 1,244.6 | 35.9 | 2.8 |
| El Paso | 335.2 | 285.6 | 49.5 | 14.8 | 365.7 | 346.1 | 19.6 | 5.4 | 362.0 | 350.1 | 11.9 | 3.3 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 3,195.4 | 2,743.1 | 452.3 | 14.2 | 3,434.1 | 3,243.8 | 190.4 | 5.5 | 3,397.4 | 3,286.9 | 110.6 | 3.3 |
| Killeen-Temple | 162.7 | 144.3 | 18.4 | 11.3 | 177.5 | 168.1 | 9.4 | 5.3 | 176.1 | 170.4 | 5.7 | 3.2 |
| Laredo | 104.3 | 90.0 | 14.2 | 13.6 | 118.5 | 111.9 | 6.6 | 5.6 | 117.8 | 114.0 | 3.8 | 3.2 |
| Longview | 89.3 | 78.4 | 11.0 | 12.3 | 97.1 | 91.5 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 99.2 | 96.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Lubbock | 145.2 | 130.8 | 14.4 | 9.9 | 161.5 | 155.1 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 163.1 | 159.3 | 3.8 | 2.3 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | 338.5 | 276.8 | 61.7 | 18.2 | 359.3 | 325.7 | 33.7 | 9.4 | 349.3 | 331.6 | 17.6 | 5.0 |
| Midland | 95.4 | 85.7 | 9.7 | 10.2 | 108.2 | 104.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 110.1 | 108.3 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
| Odessa | 79.1 | 68.4 | 10.7 | 13.5 | 86.6 | 82.5 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 88.2 | 86.4 | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| San Angelo | 48.4 | 43.3 | 5.1 | 10.6 | 54.5 | 52.1 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 55.3 | 53.9 | 1.4 | 2.5 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 1,115.3 | 968.5 | 146.8 | 13.2 | 1,198.5 | 1,144.4 | 54.1 | 4.5 | 1,193.4 | 1,162.1 | 31.3 | 2.6 |
| Sherman-Denison | 58.7 | 52.5 | 6.2 | 10.6 | 64.0 | 61.1 | 3.0 | 4.6 | 63.8 | 62.2 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Texarkana | 60.4 | 52.1 | 8.3 | 13.8 | 65.4 | 61.6 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 64.9 | 62.4 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| Tyler | 98.9 | 86.9 | 12.0 | 12.2 | 105.5 | 100.3 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 107.1 | 104.1 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| Victoria | 41.3 | 35.4 | 5.9 | 14.2 | 45.2 | 42.8 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 45.7 | 44.4 | 1.3 | 2.9 |
| Waco | 113.4 | 101.4 | 12.0 | 10.6 | 125.5 | 119.4 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 125.2 | 121.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 |
| Wichita Falls | 57.7 | 51.2 | 6.5 | 11.3 | 64.1 | 61.2 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 65.0 | 63.3 | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| INDUSTRY TITLE | Apr 2020* | Mar 2020 | Apr 2019 | Mar '20 to Apr '20 | Apr '19 to Apr '20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Change | Percent Change | Absolute Change | Percent Change | ||||
| Total Nonagricultural | 11,628,000 | 12,926,900 | 12,738,600 | -1,298,900 | -10.0 | -1,110,600 | -8.7 |
| Total Private | 9,673,200 | 10,933,300 | 10,776,000 | -1,260,100 | -11.5 | -1,102,800 | -10.2 |
| Goods Producing | 1,800,700 | 1,931,800 | 1,927,800 | -131,100 | -6.8 | -127,100 | -6.6 |
| Mining and Logging | 209,800 | 234,100 | 255,500 | -24,300 | -10.4 | -45,700 | -17.9 |
| Construction | 729,000 | 791,500 | 767,500 | -62,500 | -7.9 | -38,500 | -5.0 |
| Manufacturing | 861,900 | 906,200 | 904,800 | -44,300 | -4.9 | -42,900 | -4.7 |
| Service Providing | 9,827,300 | 10,995,100 | 10,810,800 | -1,167,800 | -10.6 | -983,500 | -9.1 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 2,367,700 | 2,541,600 | 2,503,000 | -173,900 | -6.8 | -135,300 | -5.4 |
| Information | 198,500 | 210,200 | 208,600 | -11,700 | -5.6 | -10,100 | -4.8 |
| Financial Activities | 800,300 | 816,200 | 796,400 | -15,900 | -1.9 | 3,900 | 0.5 |
| Professional and Business Services | 1,687,200 | 1,835,800 | 1,781,000 | -148,600 | -8.1 | -93,800 | -5.3 |
| Education and Health Services | 1,605,400 | 1,768,200 | 1,731,400 | -162,800 | -9.2 | -126,000 | -7.3 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 840,500 | 1,370,700 | 1,384,500 | -530,200 | -38.7 | -544,000 | -39.3 |
| Other Services | 372,900 | 458,800 | 443,300 | -85,900 | -18.7 | -70,400 | -15.9 |
| Government | 1,954,800 | 1,993,600 | 1,962,600 | -38,800 | -1.9 | -7,800 | -0.4 |
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The Texas Workforce Commission is a state agency dedicated to helping Texas employers, workers and communities prosper economically. For details on TWC and the services it offers in coordination with its network of local workforce development boards, call 512-463-8942 or visit www.texasworkforce.org. To receive notifications about TWC programs and services subscribe to our email updates.
