
April 17, 2009
Austin fighting back; jobless rate drops for 2nd month
For the second consecutive month, Austin’s unemployment rate has decreased as the region tries to regain the losses it’s sustained in the recession.
Austin added 5,100 jobs in March reducing unemployment from 6.3% in February to 6.2%. In the past year, the area has added 3,300 jobs for .4% growth. Although this number is slight, growth of any kind is seen as very positive with job losses mounting elsewhere across the country.
NewGeography.com lists Austin as the #1 big city for employment potential. Despite job growth rates of 1% in 2008 this modest number combined with Austin’s long term potential for creating new jobs, were the reasons noted by the website.