The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday that the state added 2,500 jobs in October. Texas's unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 9 percent.
Commission Chairman Tom Pauken says private employers in Texas are "investing their capital" in hiring more workers, adding 286,200 jobs since October 2010, for a growth rate of 3.4 percent.
Although six of the 11 sectors shed jobs last month, the largest gains were in leisure and hospitality, which added 14,900 positions. The biggest losses were in construction, which cut 12,800 jobs.
The Midland area had the lowest local jobless rate for October at 4.5 percent. Brownsville-Harlingen had the highest at 11.9 percent.
