Texas jobless rate has sharpest drop since 1983

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas unemployment rate has fallen sharply to 6.8 percent in September, down from 7.1 percent in the largest one-month drop in nearly 30 years.

The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday that the state added 21,000 nonfarm jobs, led by a gain of 13,600 jobs in professional and business services.

The last time the Texas jobless rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point in one month was October-November 1983, when it fell to 7.0 percent.

Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar says the state saw "encouraging signs" in the labor market in September.

The national unemployment rate for September was 7.8 percent.

The Midland area had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.3 percent, and nearby Odessa was second at 3.9 percent.