texas workforce commission

Lubbock County’s unemployment rate for January 2013 was at 5.4 percent for January 2013, up from December’s 4.7 percent, but still down from the 5.9 percent rate posted in January 2012.

Alcantar currently serves as chair of the Texas Workforce Commission, which oversees and provides workforce development services to employers and job seekers throughout the state.

Emergency unemployment benefits provide temporary income for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

Major job gains in Lubbock were in retail trade and government.

The unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent in Lubbock, down from last month’s 5 percent.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state dipped to 6.8 percent for September 2012, down from August’s 7.1 percent, and down from September 2011’s 7.9 percent.

Job losses were seen in some sectors in the Lubbock MSA, with the service providing sector losing 600 jobs from July 2012 into August.

The number of unemployed for July of this year is only slightly higher than last months, showing 9,672 people unemployed across the Lubbock MSA, barely up from June’s 9,643.

Statewide, Texas’ unemployment rate rose to a seasonally adjusted 7.0 percent for June, up from May 2012’s 6.9 percent, and still down from June 2011’s 8.6 percent.

The state's unemployment rate remained flat in May, as the state continued to add jobs.