I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased again to 8.7 percent in February according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. The unemployment rate in January in New Mexico was 8.5 percent.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate in February was 9.7 percent.
New Mexico has lost 22,800 jobs over the last year, or a negative 2.8 percent over-the-year job growth rate, according to the Department of Workforce Solutions.
“Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Mexico ranked thirty-first and in the top two-thirds of states for job growth,” the release says.
The hardest hit industry by the loss of jobs was construction, where 1,600 jobs were lost from January to February. The professional and businesses service industry lost 1,100 jobs in the same time period. State government increased 4,600 jobs in the month, with 3,900 of those in the education field. Local government also increased 2,900 jobs with 2,600 of those in the education field.
The unemployment rate in the Albuquerque metropolitan area rose from 8.9 percent in January to 9.0 percent in February.
“The area has lost 28,000 jobs since the start of the national recession in December 2007, reducing the size of the workforce to levels not seen since early 2005,” the Department of Workforce Solutions says.
The unemployment situation actually improved in the Las Cruces metropolitan area, down to 8.4 percent from 8.6 percent. The Santa Fe metropolitan area also experienced a decrease in the unemployment rate, down to 7.2 percent from 7.7 percent, though the Department of Workforce Solutions cautions the decrease “is likely a temporary occurrence that will soon be reversed.” In Farmington the unemployment rate continued to stay above ten percent, with an increase to 10.6 percent in February from 10.4 percent in January.
In all cases, the unemployment rate was lower in February of 2009.
Michigan has the highest unemployment rate at 14.1 percent in February, up 2.1 percent in the past year. North Dakota has the lowest at 4.1 percent, virtually unchanged from the 4.2 percent unemployment rate a year ago.
