Unemployment in the Rio Grande Valley increased for a second straight month in February, and for the first time in 10 months, it was up statewide.
The Brownsville-Harlingen metro area recorded a .4% jump to an unemployment rate of 10.9%. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area rose .1% to an even 12%.
Statewide, the jobless rate rose .1% to 6.9%, breaking a 10-month streak of job growth. Jobs were lost in 8 of the 11 economic sectors measured by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Most of the layoffs came in the Professional and Business Services industry. Most of the new hiring came in the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector.
