Statewide, strong gains in the construction industry drove the seasonally adjusted jobless rate in Texas down from 4.6 percent in March to 4.5 percent in April, the Texas Workforce Com-mission announced Thursday. Our economy remains strong as the labor market continues to experience health job growth. She said Texas employers added 14,800 nonagricultural jobs last month and 250,000 over the year. Commissioner T.P. O'Mahoney, who represents labor, said the construction industry added 6,500 jobs in April and 32,900 over the year. The commission uses a mathematical formula to adjust the jobless rate to compensate for seasonal variations in the job market, such as when students take part-time jobs in the summer.
Most economists believe that seasonally adjusted figures give a truer picture of the labor force.
The unadjusted rate, also released Thursday, showed a decline from 4.4 percent in March to 4.1 percent in April. In real terms, the number of employed Texans increased over the month by 40,100, to 9.9 million in April, the commission reported. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement . We also have a Privacy Policy .