Denton's unemployment rate continued to drop in December, both at the city and county levels.
Denton is pleased that it's maintained a rate below 6 percent over the past couple of months, but the true test will be whether it remains that way, said Erica Sullivan, economic development analyst for the city.
The city unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point in December, from 5.9 percent in November to 5.7 percent, with 3,715 people looking for work, according to data released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission.
The unemployment rate for December dropped six-tenths of a percentage point over the previous year.
Factors contributing to the decline in unemployment also include seasonal hiring, with United Copper and Labinal filling positions, Sullivan said.
Countywide, the jobless rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point, from 6.6 percent in November to 6.3 percent in December, according to the commission. It dropped nine-tenths of a percentage point over the same month last year.
Texas' unemployment rate also declined and remains below the national rate of 8.3 percent.
It dropped from 8 percent in December 2010 to 7.2 percent in December 2011.
Texas added 20,200 nonagricultural jobs in December, for a total of 204,500 jobs for the year, the Workforce Commission reported.
The Texas Labor Market Review reported that after five months of job losses in the government sector, 10,100 jobs were added in December.
Sullivan said it will be something to watch over the next several months to see if the government sector will continue to add jobs. She said it's positive that the majority of those jobs - 8,800 - were added at the local level.
The private sector also gained 10,100 jobs in December for a total gain of 260,000 jobs for the year, the commission reported.
"We've seen a lot of the growth this year in the private sector," Sullivan said.
The leisure and hospitality industry saw the greatest gain in December, adding 4,100 jobs for a total of 41,200 jobs for the year. This was followed by the manufacturing industry, which added 2,200 jobs in December for a total of 25,200 jobs for the year.
RACHEL MEHLHAFF can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is rmehlhaff@dentonrc.com.
