Jobs Up, Employment Down in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – City Employment and Unemployment (monthly) data for September 2019 was released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today, indicating Albuquerque is helping to drive recent upticks in the state’s employment numbers.
BLS data indicated Albuquerque’s unemployment rate is sitting at 4.4% for September 2019, down from 4.9% in August. Total private employment was up 1.9%, with Albuquerque gaining 4,100 jobs over the same period a year ago.
The largest contributors to growth were leisure and hospitality (7.0%) professional and business (3.9%), education and health (2.6%), and construction and mining (0.8%).
Mayor Tim Keller said, “For the first time, we can confidently say we have exceeded the pre-recession peak in total employment. We’ve focused on homegrown entrepreneurs, strategic investment in public-private partnership, and progress in sectors where we know we have a competitive advantage, like film, technology, and health services. There is still a lot of work ahead, but along with our private sector partners, the numbers show we’re starting to turn the tide in our city.”
Total employment was tempered somewhat to 1.0% growth by losses in state government education, following a national trend.
Synthia Jaramillo, the City’s Economic Development Director, said, “Employment numbers are finally back to pre-recession employment levels. By strategically investing in economic-base companies we are adding good, steady, and well-paying jobs to Albuquerque’s job market.
Recently, data posted by the U.S. Department of Labor and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions indicated New Mexico is 6th in the nation for job outpacing the national job growth rate on a per capita basis.
###