Texas Unemployment Rate Rises to a Two-Year High in August; EmploymentCrossing Adds 55,733 Texas-Based Jobs in One Month

September 23, 2008   |    PDF version

Pasadena, CA — Following the Texas Workforce Commission's report of a rise in the jobless rate in Texas, EmploymentCrossing (www.employmentcrossing.com), one of the leading job boards in the world, has announced that it added about 55,733 jobs in Texas in the last month. The job site provides instant access to a comprehensive pool of job listings based on specific industries and job profiles. EmploymentCrossing has a large database of more than 250,000 jobs scoured from over 8,000 job boards and employer websites every day.

Texas employers managed to add some jobs in August, but the number was drastically less than the month before, and it was not enough to keep up with the state's climbing jobless rate, which rose to 5%, its highest level in two years. The biggest August job gains in Austin, the state's capital, were in the government and hospitality sectors, but the state's overall unemployment rate jumped from 4.7% in July as job growth slowed and the number of job seekers rose sharply, the commission said.

''Although the Texas unemployment rate of 5% is below the US rate of 6.1%, it is still a matter of concern'' said Harrison Barnes, CEO of EmploymentCrossing. ''The rise in the Texas unemployment rate for August reflects the economic challenges facing our nation as a whole.''

A breakdown by industry in Texas indicates that the natural resources and mining industry in the state added 1,500 jobs last month and 15,800 jobs over the past year. The hospitality industry added 1,100 jobs in August and 38,800 jobs within the past year. Experts say that Texas is facing various economic challenges, though, and will face many more in the coming months with many industries rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

''It is really unfortunate that the state's unemployment rate rose to 5% in August despite the addition of 6,700 jobs in August and 252,000 jobs during the past year. But job seekers should not lose hope amidst the economic difficulties. They should look for venues where they can search for all jobs, including jobs from employer websites, because there is already intense competition for securing jobs from ordinary job boards. EmploymentCrossing is the only site in the world which lists nearly all the jobs which are active in the country, including jobs from other job boards and employer websites,'' adds Barnes.

According to Texas-related job searches performed on the site, the top five job titles on EmploymentCrossing are:

• Healthcare jobs (14,430 jobs)
• Managerial jobs (11,785 jobs)
• Information technology jobs (9,230 jobs)
• Engineering jobs (7,570 jobs)
• Nursing jobs (6,498 jobs)

According to Barnes, ''EmploymentCrossing tries to leverage the existing job market of Texas with the help of quality efforts put in by hundreds of research analysts who scour jobs from every nook and cranny of the country. Unlike other job boards that simply herd masses of job listings without looking back, EmploymentCrossing weeds out spam and jobs outside one's niche, allowing job seekers to search efficiently and specifically.''

EmploymentCrossing added a whopping 150,000+ new US jobs to the site in the last week, and the company aims to boost its job count in the coming weeks. For more information on EmploymentCrossing, log on to www.employmentcrossing.com.

Contact:
Mary Waldron, Editorial Coordinator
EmploymentCrossing
626-243-1821
maryw@employmentcrossing.com

About EmploymentCrossing

EmploymentCrossing is a powerful and comprehensive organization dedicated to helping professionals find jobs that will enhance their careers. EmploymentCrossing consists of 90+ industry-specific job boards which consolidate every job opening they can find in one convenient location. The website also offers a seven-day free trial to new members.