2016 San Angelo Employment Levels and Labor Force Thus Far

SAN ANGELO, TX – Employment rates and growth are an excellent way to gage the current status of the labor force, and the latest reports available show the labor market in San Angelo has growth in some job sectors, but some losses in others.

The total non-farm employees for the city of San Angelo currently stands at 50,300 employees. The labor market in this area is divided into 10 different sectors that span across a wide range. This list shows the breakdown of how the labor force is spread out currently.

• Trade, Transportation, & Utilities – 9,900 employees
• Government – 8,800 employees
• Education & Health Services – 8,700 employees
• Leisure and Hospitality – 6,200 employees
• Mining, Logging & Construction – 4,000 employees
• Professional & Business Services – 3,900 employees
• Manufacturing – 3,500 employees
• Financial Activities – 2,500 employees
• Other Services – 2,200 employees
• Information – 600 employees

Compared to September of 2015, there has been an increase of 3.1 percent, which totals 1,500 new jobs added to the labor force in one year.

There has also been steady stream of growth in the industries that reach anywhere from 4 percent to 5 percent annually. According to the statistics provided by the Concho Valley Workforce, the biggest increase occurred in the Trade, Transportation and Utilities division with 400 new jobs in one year. At the same time, that sector lost 100 jobs between September 2016 and August 2016. Even with a 100 hundred employee loss in one month, this sector is still responsible for employing nearly 20 percent of the non-farm labor force.

The Information sector also saw a loss of 100 employees since last year, which accounts for nearly a 14.3 percent difference. While this is a fairly large number, the Information sector is the smallest in San Angelo and the numbers changed from 700 to 600 employees in one year.

The rest of the sectors experienced growth monthly and annually. Anywhere from 100 to 300 employees were added to those divisions. Compared to the 1^st and 2^nd quarters of this year, the employment growth rate has risen slowly.

While employment appears to be growing, the unemployment rates have held steady when compared to September of last year. According to the unemployment statistics for San Angelo, the total labor market force (not just nonfarm labor) sits at 56,551 individuals. Of that number, 53,960 are currently employed, leaving 2,591 individuals unemployed in the labor force. The unemployment rate currently sits at 4.6 percent for San Angelo. The national unemployment rate for September peaked at 5 percent, which was the approximate for every month this year.

Compared to last year, unemployment rose 0.4 percent, but the labor force itself grew approximately by 1,682 employees.

These statistics can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but, based on the numbers, San Angelo has been able to accommodate the increase of individuals in the labor market, while at the same time maintaining a constant level of unemployment.