Austin jobless rate rises slightly, below state average

AUSTIN – Austin’s jobless rate ticked higher in June 2014, up to 4.4 percent from 4.1 percent in May, though it’s still much lower than the 5.7 percent unemployment seen in the Austin area in June 2013.

The local unemployment rate numbers, from the Texas Workforce Commission, are not seasonally adjusted.

Austin’s unemployment rate remains far below the average national rate of 6.3 percent unemployed, and also below Texas’ 5.1 percent unemployment rate, which remained steady in June.

In Austin, an extremely competitive job market caused by the low unemployment is making it hard for many companies — especially in the technology industry — to fill vacant jobs.

Statewide, the Texas economy added about 19,100 seasonally-adjusted non-farm jobs in June 2014, bringing the total number of new jobs since June 2013 to 371,000.

For more stats on employment and other sectors, see the Texas Workforce Commission and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Market Data Sources.