Published: June 22, 2009 09:01 pm      

County jobless rate rises in May

Henderson County’s two month drop in unemployment ended in May when the rate climbed to 7.1 percent.

The county rate had fallen to 6.7 percent in April, down from a 7.4 percent peak in February.

The Texas rate for May was also 7.1 percent, after a 6.6 April reading, Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken said.

“The Texas unemployment rate continued to follow the national upward trend,” Pauken said. “Few industries were spared in May as Texas employers continued to report job losses.”

The total labor force grew in Henderson County from 36,081 to 36,132 from April to May. The total number of employed, however, slid from 33,669 to 33,562. The number of unemployed rose from 2,412 to 2,570.

Ronny Congleton, TWC commissioner representing labor, said finding a job in Texas today is challenging.

“Texas workers are facing a tight job market as employers in most industries are,” Congleton said.

Congleton again said TWC has online assistance for job seekers and has workforce centers around the state. The East Texas Workforce Center in Athens serves the Henderson County area at 205 North Murchison Street.

“TWC has allocated millions in federal spending dollars to support training and to help Texans find jobs,” Congleton said.

Henderson County’s neighbors also saw unemployment rate increases in May. Anderson County jumped from 7.1 percent to 7.6 percent, Kaufman County went from 6.9 percent to 7.5 percent, Navarro County 6.7 percent to 7.2 percent and Van Zandt County 5.7 to 6.4 percent.