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While much of the nation has been struggling as a result of the national economic crisis, Texas jobs have continued to fair relatively well. Despite this, the most recent data from the Bureau of the Labor Statistics shows that the state’s unemployment rate rose during June.

Joblessness increased 0.4 percent from May’s 7.1 percent to 7.5 percent. Although this rise shows that fewer jobs were available in Texas in June, the state’s unemployment rate is still somewhat below the 9.5 percent national average.

In spite of this, the recently risen jobless rate is proof that the Texas job market has been affected by the recession. In June of last year only 4.8 percent of the state’s population were unable to find work.

According to the most recent statistics, approximately 40,600 Texans lost their jobs during June. The largest job losses occurred in the trade, transportation and utilities sector. Employers in this industry did away with 21,700 jobs in Texas last month. The professional and business services sector also took a large hit in June. The industry saw the loss of 11,900 jobs during the month.

Over the course of the 12 months the largest year-over-year job losses occurred in the construction industry. During the last year employers in this sector have decreased the number of jobs they provide by 11.6 percent. This industry has been severely injured by the housing market crisis. Since real estate agents are struggling to move existing properties, there is little need to build new homes. The good news is that the recent Monster.com job listings report showed that the real estate industry has begun to pick up.

Other sectors that have taken a significant hit over the last year included; mining and logging, which lost 10.2 percent of its jobs, and manufacturing, where employers did away with 8.7 percent of payroll positions.

Only three industries posted year-over-year job gains. The greatest growth was experienced in the health and educational services industry, which increased jobs by 4.5 percent. The government sector saw an increase of 2.7 percent and the leisure and hospitality industry grew by 0.6 percent.

According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida’s unemployment rate continued to rise in June. During the month the state’s jobless rate increased 0.3 percent, going from 10.3 percent in May to 10.6 percent. In June of 2008 only 6 percent of Floridians could not find jobs. The state’s unemployment rate has been consistently rising since May of 2007.

This may have something to do with why Floridians are losing confidence in their state’s job situation. According to a recent press release put out by Spherion, the Florida Employee Confidence fell 6.5 points during the month of June. Currently it stands at 37.8.

Every month this survey is conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Spherion Corporation in order to discover how workers in the state feel about the job market. This month it found that fewer people are feeling optimistic about job security due to a growing believe that the economy is continuing to weaken. On top of this, the percentage of people confident that they could find a new job has also dropped. In spite of this, a growing number of Floridians reported that they expect to look for a new place of employment with in the next year.

According to the report, 61 percent of respondents believe that the economy is steadily weakening. This is an increase of 18 percent since the previous month. Of those who participated in the survey, 41 percent reported that they are not confident in their ability to find a new job if necessary, which a 12 percent increase from May. The percentage of people who said that they will likely look for work in the next 12 months rose from 34 percent in May to 42 percent last month.

“After three consecutive months of increases, our Florida Employee Confidence Index dropped as concerns over the economy and their personal employment situation rose,” said Paula Franco, branch manager for Spherion Staffing Services in Florida, according to the recent press release. “Although we would have liked to see this trend continue, the decrease is not surprising given recent conflicting economic reports. As companies continuing to navigate cautiously through the current economic landscape, we are still seeing apprehension about adding staff. However, our Report indicates that a growing number of workers are likely to job search in the next 12 months. With over forty percent of workers in the process of mapping out their next career move, retention efforts should not be pushed aside.”

Many experts believe that the economy should begin to recover between the last quarter of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Despite this, some reports say that Florida’s economic situation will take some time to catch up. This is due to the fact that many area of the state have been injured by the housing market slump. Because of this it may be months before Spherion’s Florida Employee Confidence begins to increase.

Despite having a small dip in unemployment during the month of June, jobs in North Carolina are still hard to come by. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percent from May’s 11.1 percent to 11 percent. Not only is this still somewhat higher that the national average of 9.5 percent, it is also significantly higher than the state’s jobless rate from the previous year. In June of 2008 only 6.1 percent of North Carolina residents were unable to find jobs.

According to the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, the small decline in unemployment didn’t stop the state’s pay roll from dropping by 5,626 workers. Currently there are 502,300 people claiming jobless benefits in the state.

The problem with these figures is that many unemployed people are left out from the data. Individuals that have exhausted their jobless benefits and those that have become too discouraged to look for work are not counted as part of the percentage of the population that is unemployed.

During the month of June, the largest month-over-month job increase occurred in the government sector. This area of employment added 13,900 positions between May and June.

The manufacturing industry saw the largest decline during the month. Employers in this sector did away with 5,500 jobs. Over the course of the last 12 months this area of employment has experienced a 14.2 percent decrease.

This was the not the largest year-over-year loss experienced in North Carolina. Over the course of the last 12 months the construction industry has lost 18.3 percent of its jobs. The sectors problems have been caused, at least in part, by the housing slump. At this time, fewer people can afford to purchase new homes. This has caused the housing market to be over saturated with on sold properties, which means there is less need for new construction projects.

Only two of the state’s industries have experienced a year-over-year gain in jobs: Educational and health services and government. Due to the necessity of the services provided by the first, many experts have said that it s relatively recession proof. This sector has seen an increase in employment of 1.5 percent during the last 12 months. The Government sector was the only category of jobs to outpace the healthcare industry. It has experienced an increase in employment of 3.4 percent since June of 2008.

Finding jobs in Illinois became more difficult in May, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The state’s unemployment rose 0.7 percent from April’s 9.4 percent to 10.1 percent. Currently the state’s jobless rate is the highest it’s been in 25 years.

Not only is this rate higher than the national average of 9.4 percent, it is also significantly higher than the state’s jobless rate was during the same month last year. In May of 2008 only 6.4 percent of Illinois residents were unable to find work.

According to the State Department of Employment Security, Illinois lost 17,400 jobs in May. This was the 8th consecutive month the state reported a decline in jobs. Since the beginning of the recession Illinois employers have done away with 290,800 positions.

Currently there are approximately 671,400 unemployment people in the state.

In May the industry lost the most positions was the manufacturing sector. Business in this area of employment did away with 9,500 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities followed, losing a total of 5,300 positions. The Government sector saw the loss of 2,900 jobs during the month.

Only two industries in Illinois reported job growth in May; leisure and hospitality and education and health services. The first gained 6,900 jobs as a result of employers getting ready for summer. The latter added 400 jobs and continues to be the only relatively recession proof industry.

Over the course of the last 12 months there has been a 4.6 percent decline in total non-farm employment throughout the state, according to BLS data. The industry that reported the largest year-over-year losses in Illinois was the construction sector, where employers now offer 13.7 percent fewer jobs than they did in May of 2008. Manufacturing also lost over 10 percent of its jobs in the last year. Employment in this industry is now down by 11.9 percent.

Only three industries in the state reported year-over-year job gains; education and health services, government, and mining and logging. The first of which reported a 0.7 percent increase in the last 12 months. The government sector saw a 0.3 percent increase over course of the last year, while mining and logging increased employment by 2 percent.

One department that helps the unemployed is creating some Rhode Island jobs of its own.

The state Department of Labor and Training recently announced that it plans to hire 19 new workers at its netWORKri One-Stop Career Centers. Salaries for the new positions will range from $35,438 for a senior employment and training interviewer to $39,838 for a business service specialist.

The limited-period positions, which are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will last at least through October 2010, will help the department provide a variety of workforce development services to job seekers and employers.

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