1. Austin, Tex.
2. Phoenix, Ariz.
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Fort Worth, Tex.
5. Cincinnati, Ohio (tie
   Indianapolis, Ind. (tie)
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Dallas, Tex.
8. Houston, Tex.
9. San Antonio, Tex.
10. Nashville, Tenn. (tie)
    Denver, Colo. (tie)
11. Cambridge, Mass.
12. Kansas City, Mo.
13. Detroit, Mich.

The latest data on unemployment rates is out and available in interactive charts at http://AustinHome.Pro/data or http://AustinHome.Pro/statistics.  Austin shines yet again with a strikingly low unemployment rate, and national media has taken notice.  The great news is that unemployment rates have continued to drop across the board, a great sign that the economy is recovering as experts predicted.

• 8.7% – National Unemployment Rate for April 2009
• 6.4% - Texas Unemployment Rate for April 2009
• 5.8% – Austin Unemployment Rate for April 2009

The Statesman reported recently that

The national job market remains challenging, but Central Texas continues to create new jobs, according to figures released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission.

The region added jobs at a 0.4 percent rate during April, and its unemployment rate fell to 5.8 percent from 6.2 percent in March. A year ago, the rate was 3.5 percent.

The percent growth rate translates into 3,480 new jobs between April 2008 and April 2009.

For the third month in a row, Austin was the only large Texas city to add jobs. Dallas lost jobs at a 2 percent annual rate last month, and its 6.7 percent unemployment rate was the highest among large Texas cities.

The news is in deed good, even if many have good reason to remain cautious for now.  It’s a good time to be proud to be a Texan, as our strong state economy has sheltered us from what appears to have been the worst of this economic storm.  And you should be even more proud that Austin continues to rank #1 against even the biggest US cities.

May figures are trickling in so keep an eye out for them at AustinHome.Pro!

For the second consecutive month, Austin’s unemployment rate has decreased as the region tries to regain the losses it’s sustained in the recession.

Austin added 5,100 jobs in the month of March, helping drop the metro area’s unemployment rate from 6.3 percent in February to 6.2 percent, according to the latest figures from the Texas Workforce Commission.

Over the last 12 months, the area has added a cumulative total of just 3,300 jobs, for a 0.4 percent growth-rate. Though modest, growth of any kind is seen as a sign of health as most of the cities across the country continue to struggle with major job losses.

Indeed, Texas as a whole lost 47,100 jobs in the month of March, the TWC report shows. That brings Texas back down to its fall 2007 employment level and increases the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from 6.5 percent in February to 6.7 percent last month. The national unemployment rate now stands at 8.5 percent. Texas recorded a net loss of 106,500 jobs in the past 12 months; nationwide job losses total 4.8 million over the last year.

“The Texas unemployment rate remained well below that of the nation, although Texas suffered a net loss of jobs in March,” said TWC Chairman Tom Pauken. “While the national recession continues to have an impact, TWC is focused on helping Texans find employment and weather these challenging economic times.”

Original Link to Article with the Austin Business Journal

National, Texas, and Austin Unemployment Rate Over Time

The number of planned job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers fell 19.3 percent to 150,411 in March, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.

The number of announced layoffs had dropped 23 percent to 186,350 in February, said the global outplacement firm, meaning that March numbers mark the first two-month decrease in job cuts since February to March 2007.

The March number was the lowest since last October, when 112,884 planned job cuts were announced.

The cuts are still much higher than a year ago, however. Last month’s total was 181 percent higher than the same month a year ago, when job cuts hit the lowest level of the year at 53,579.