AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Texas unemployment rate is up for the second consecutive month to 7.2 percent despite job growth.
The Texas Workforce Commission on Friday reported that the state added 17,800 nonfarm jobs in July. But that wasn't enough to keep up with rising population, causing the jobless rate to tick up from 7 percent in June.
The reversal comes after Texas saw eight consecutive months of falling unemployment through April.
Education and health services accounted for seven out of every 10 new jobs in Texas last month. The leisure and hospitality sector took the biggest hit, shedding 6,500 jobs.
The national unemployment rate is at 8.3 percent.
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