WESLACO, RGV – The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area report for the month of June shows a decrease of 1,000 people working in the healthcare sector.
In the South Texas border region, Laredo has the lowest unemployment rate at 4.8 percent. The city with the lowest unemployment rate in the Rio Grande Valley is McAllen at 5.1 percent. Edinburg came in second at 5.4 percent and Harlingen came third at 5.7 percent.
According to the Workforce Solutions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, an increase in the June unemployment rates is a seasonal occurrence. This is due to temporary layoffs in the government sector–which includes public education. However, Mike Willis, director of business services at Workforce Solutions of the Lower RGV said based on the monthly unemployment trends, the rate of improvement is slowing down and averaging out to the rates seen during the past year. Willis often gives an analysis of the latest unemployment statistics but his views are his own, not those of Workforce Solutions.
The Hidalgo and Cameron County Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) show a -1,600 net change in the month of June in all non-agriculture sectors. Over the past 12 months, however, the net change is at 8,900.
Over the past year, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission added about 5,000 seasonally adjusted jobs–according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, seasonal adjustment is a technique that attempts to measure rates without the influence of predictable, seasonal patterns. About 100 of those include an increase in leisure and hospitality jobs. Brownsville and McAllen MSAs consist of 40,500 jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry.
The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA shows a decrease of 1,000 people in the healthcare sector, however other MSAs in the Rio Grande Valley do not reflect those significant losses. Willis said Workforce Solutions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley will check with their healthcare industry partners to check if it is a new development or a data adjustment by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito MSA had a 3.2 percent increase in the Leisure & Hospitality sector with 500 jobs. The latter normally reflects the area’s preparation for summer tourism.
Texas added about 171,000 seasonally adjusted jobs in the past year and 7,200 non-farm jobs in June. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 4.4 percent in May to 4.5 percent in June.
According to the U.S. Bureau Labor of Statistics, national unemployment rate rose to 4.9 percent and about 287,000 jobs were created in June.
Editor’s Note: The main image accompanying this story shows Mike Willis, director of business services at Workforce Solutions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
