By KRWG News
Texas – The Texas unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in August after a large loss of government jobs fueled by a purge of temporary Census workers.
The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the jobless rate jumped from 8.2 percent in July, mostly because of a loss of 35,300 government jobs after Census jobs were dropped from the payroll in August.
The overall drop in jobs was 34,200, according to commission figures.
Commission Chairman Tom Pauken says the government losses offset gains in most sectors.
The Texas unemployment rate remained below the national figure of 9.6 percent.
Education and health services had the largest increase in August at 12,400 jobs.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.