Austin unemployment rate hits 6.4%; region lost 12,800 jobs in Jan.

From Austin Business Journal, March 5, 2009...

The Austin area lost 12,800 jobs in January as the local unemployment rate reached 6.4 percent.
Total non-farm jobs in the region stood at 770,500 in January, down from 783,300 in December 2008, the latest report from the Texas Workforce Commission shows. Over the last year, the local area has added just 6,600 jobs for an annual growth rate just shy of 1 percent.

For the month, job losses were most significant in the sectors of leisure and hospitality (down 3,100 positions); trade, transportation and utilities (down 4,400 positions); and education and health services (down 2,500 positions). The only sector to show a gain of more than 1,000 jobs was professional and business services, which added 1,200 positions for the month.

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