Employment Numbers Up for Lubbock, South Plains

Employment numbers in Lubbock and the South Plains are looking up, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Lubbock’s total nonfarm employment for April of 2012 reached 131,800, up from March’s 130,300, and up 3 percent from April 2011’s 128,000.

The sector that experienced the largest employment increases in the area is state government, which has increased 10.9 percent over April 2011 from 11,000 to 12,200. April did mark a slight decrease in this sector from March 2012’s 12,300.

The mining, logging, and construction sector also saw a sizable 5.3 percent increase between years, jumping to 6,000 from April 2011’s 5,700.

The only Lubbock sector to shrink is local government, which dropped from April 2011’s 15,000 to April 2012’s 14,800, a 1.3 percent decrease.

The South Plains employment figures show a modest increase from April 2011’s 197,058 to April 2012’s 201,742, leaving a 5.2 percent unemployment rate.

Lubbock County’s unemployment rate dropped from March 2012’s 5.7 percent to 5 percent in April of this year.

Texas’ unemployment rate in April 2012 dropped half a percent to 6.5 percent from one month ago, and far down from April 2011’s 7.6 percent.

The unemployment rate for the nation is at 7.7 percent, down from April 2011’s 8.7 percent.