The latest US job report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows only 142,000 were created in August – and the nation’s unemployment rate fell only slightly from 6.2 to 6.1 percent.
While the August employment numbers for McLennan County and Waco won’t be released until later this month -- how is the city's job outlook fairing so far?
David Davis with Workforce Solutions for the Heart of Texas says they think the numbers will at least hold steady.
"We're encouraged by what we've seen and we hope it continues and increases," Davis said.
July’s job report shows McLennan County’s unemployment rate was 5.6-percent. And Waco had an unemployment rate of 5.8-percent. That’s slightly higher than June’s numbers for Waco. But Davis says that’s better than last year’s rate of 6.7-percent. How does that compare with the rest of the state? Well it’s about point-2 percent higher than Texas’ average -- which was 5.6-percent in July.
"Those numbers have come down over time over the last few years," Davis said. "The general trend has been positive. Of course, we'd like to see it continue and we'd like to see it increase."
About 200 jobs were lost in Waco from June to July.
Some of the city’s largest employing industries include government, trade, transportation and utilities and education and health services.
