County unemployment rate falls to 4.9 percent

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Burnet County saw its unadjusted unemployment rate in July drop from 5.4 percent to 4.9 percent, its lowest point since March, as the Highland Lakes area continues to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Llano County unemployment fell to 5.8 percent, down from 8.8 percent just one month ago, according to figures released today by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

The unadjusted unemployment rate in the Rural Capital Area of central Texas continues to signal that economic recovery is under way in key industries impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, sliding to 6.3 percent in July 2020.

The 6.3 percent unemployment rate in the nine-county Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA), represented 34,339 residents seeking employment. The region’s unemployment rate remained below both the Texas (8.2 percent) and national (10.5 percent) rates. The rates listed above are not seasonally adjusted.

Within the WSRCA counties, Blanco recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 4.0 percent in July. Fayette and Burnet counties were second at 4.9 percent. Lee County was at 5.0 percent, while Llano County was at 5.8 percent. Williamson County was at 6.2 percent, Bastrop County was at 6.4 percent, while Caldwell County came in at 6.8 percent and Hays County was at 7.0 percent.

Burnet County hit an unemployment high of 8.9 percent and Llano County rose to 9.4 percent in April 2020 after mandates imposed by Gov. Greg Abbott shut down a number of businesses across multiple sectors. Since Abbott introduced a phased-in reopening of the economy, those numbers have continued to drop each month.

Key points by industry for the Rural Capital Area, according to the most recent labor market data:

• The Leisure and Hospitality Industry has experienced the most growth in the first quarter of 2020, with an increase of 1.2 percent.

• Job gains were also experienced in Public Administration (1.1 percent), Professional and Business Services (0.2 percent), and Financial Activities (0.1 percent).

• The Construction Industry experienced the greatest positive annual job growth with an increase of 5.9 percent.

• Significant positive annual job growth was also experienced in Financial Activities (5.5 percent), Professional and Business Services (5.4 percent) and Public Ad ministration (5.2 percent).

The WSRCA team is eager to help you find workforce solutions in person and has begun a phased reopening of offices for curbside and in-center customers with appointments. Services continue to be available virtually.

For more information please visit their website at workforcesolutionsrca.com, call them toll free, at 1-844-344-2780, and begin your job search on workintexas.com.

Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit texaslmi.com.

Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area is a nonprofit community partnership providing no cost recruitment, employment services and childcare assistance, to businesses, employers, and job seekers in the Rural Capital Area of central Texas.

This nine-county region includes Bastrop; Blanco; Burnet; Caldwell; Fayette; Hays; Lee; Llano; and Williamson counties. For more details on WSRCA, and the services it offers, visit workforcesolutionsrca.com.