San Antonio Job Growth Up 2 Percent Over The Last Year
January 21, 2008
San Antonio area employers added 2,000 new jobs to the local economy in the month of December, according to figures released Friday by Alamo WorkSource.
Local employers also added 16,600 jobs over the last 12 months. This represents a 0.2 percent increase for the month and a 2 percent increase over the last year.
Alamo WorkSource officials attribute the December job growth figures to robust hiring by area retailers during the holiday season and a separate surge in the financial activities, manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality industries.
“Job growth continued to gain momentum in December, rounding out a very solid fourth quarter for San Antonio,” Alamo WorkSource executive director Chakib Chehadi says. “Since December 2006, San Antonio has gained 16,600 jobs, and this is a reflection of that growth in career opportunities.”
The Trade, Transportation & Utilities sector added 1,900 jobs in December, driven by retailers who manned their stores with 1,700 available workers to close out holiday sales.
The manufacturing sector added 200 jobs for the month. The financial activities as well as leisure and hospitality industries gained 200 and 300 jobs per month, respectively.
The Professional Business Services sector lost 300 jobs during the month of December, but still maintained an annual growth rate of 3.3 percent or 3,500 jobs.
Finally, the construction, government and information sectors experienced largely anticipated seasonal drops of 200, 200 and 100 jobs, respectively, for the month.
The unadjusted unemployment rate for the San Antonio metropolitan area increased slightly to 4 percent, up from 3.9 percent in November.
Statewide, the unadjusted unemployment rate increased to 4.3 percent in December.
Alamo WorkSource provides employment services to more than 40,000 businesses and more than 2 million residents in San Antonio and 12 surrounding counties.
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