New Mexico’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.9% in June, according to a Friday report from the state Department of Workforce Solutions.
That number is down from 5.1% in May and from 7.3% in June 2021.
But the state’s unemployment rate is still higher than the national average, which held at 3.6% in June.
New Mexico still has the highest unemployment rate of all 50 states, with only the District of Columbia having a higher rate of unemployment for the month, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bernalillo County saw an increase in its unemployment rate, growing from 3.6% in May to 4.4% in June.
Santa Fe County, meanwhile, jumped from 3.5% in May to 4.2% in June, according to the report. Doña Ana County’s unemployment rate was 5.3% for the month.
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However, DWS spokeswoman Stacy Johnston said county rates aren’t seasonally adjusted, leading to what looks like an increase in those numbers. She said typically those numbers aren’t compared month to month.
“Not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates nearly always go up from May to June because schools close for the summer and workers apply for benefits,” she said.
Meanwhile, nonfarm payroll employment grew by 45,100 jobs, or 5.6%, from the previous year, according to the report. Most of those gains came from the private sector, with a 6.5% increase in jobs from June 2021.
Eight major industry sectors saw large increases from June of last year as well, according to the report.
Leisure and hospitality had the largest gains of those industries, increasing by 13,500 jobs from the previous year. Educational services were up 3,200 jobs, according to the report.
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