Kyle’s jobless rate plunges to 5%, lowest since ’09

STAFF REPORT

Kyle employers added nearly 50 jobs in December 2011, and the city’s unemployment rate plunged to 5 percent.

It’s the lowest rate since unemployment reached 4.9 percent in May 2009 and is good news for the workforce in Kyle, according to Diana Blank, the city’s economic development director.

“Although the city of Kyle has not been immune to the economic downturn, we have certainly fared much better than many others in general,” she said in an email.

“The further drop in unemployment bodes well for the proactive approach the leadership has taken toward economic development in preparation for and during our fast growth period here in Kyle. We have focused on becoming a full-service community that can offer its citizens services and amenities as well as breadwinner jobs and will continue to drive that home as our goal.”

Kyle’s 5 percent jobless rate was bouyed by holiday hiring and is significantly lower than the November rate of 5.5 percent, according to data provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.

Even as more people found work in December, however, the city’s labor force contracted by 12 workers, suggesting that some had given up looking for employment.

Hays County added nearly 300 jobs, as its unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent in December from 6.6 percent the month before and 7 percent in December 2010.

The jobless rate in the metro area of Austin, San Marcos and Round Rock also fell to 6.3 percent in December from 6.6 percent in November and 6.9 percent in December 2010.

The workforce commission does not provide employment data for smaller cities, such as Buda.

Texas’ 7.8 unemployment rate, down from 8.1 percent in November and 8.3 percent in December 2010, comes as the private sector added 10,100 jobs in December, with 4,100 of those jobs coming from the leisure and hospitality industry and 2,200 jobs from manufacturing.

Please see pg. D1 of this week’s edition for a graph of Kyle’s unemployment rate.