El Paso Feb. 2016 unemployment rate dips to 4.7 percent

EL PASO – Strong job growth in the last 12 months helped El
Paso County’s unemployment rate dip to 4.7 percent in February—below the
national unemployment rate of 4.9 percent.

El Paso’s unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January, the
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported.

The local unemployment rate hasn’t been below the national
rate since July 2015.

However, El Paso’s unemployment rate continues to be well
above the Texas rate, which was 4.4 percent in February.

An estimated 16,500 El Paso residents were unemployed and
actively searching for work in February, the Texas Workforce Commission​
reported.

El Paso County added an estimated 8,800 jobs from February
2015 to February 2016—an annual increase of 3 percent. That’s well above the
statewide annual job growth rate of 1.4 percent.

The largest job gains were in health care
services, the leisure and hospitality industry and construction.