Unemployment rate rises in Gonzales County after holiday season ends

Unemployment in Gonzales County shot up to 3.7 percent in January 2023 and then to 4.0 percent in February 2023 as holiday employment came to an end, sending job seekers scrambling, according to state Labor Market Information (LMI) figures released by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

It is the first time since July 2021 that Gonzales County has had an unemployment rate of 4.0 percent or greater and the first time in a long time that Gonzales County did not have the lowest jobless rate of the seven counties which comprise the Golden Crescent Workforce Development Area.

For the entire Golden Crescent Workforce Development Area, the unemployment rate for January 2023 was 4.0 percent, slightly lower to the state average of 4.2 percent. This represented a total of

3,632 residents in Gonzales, Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca and Victoria counties seeking employment out of a total workforce of 91,798 people. In February 2023, that number jumped to 4.3 percent, which again was slightly better than the state average of 4.5 percent, which represented 3,970 residents seeking work out of a total workforce of 92,996.

In January, the county in the Golden Crescent with the lowest unemployment rate was DeWitt at 3.5 percent, followed by Lavaca County at 3.6 percent, both Gonzales and Calhoun counties at 3.7 percent, Jackson County at 3.8 percent with Victoria and Goliad counties bringing up the rear at 4.3 percent.

For February, the county in the Golden Crescent with the lowest unemployment rate was Calhoun County at 3.7 percent, followed by DeWitt County at 3.8 percent, the trio of Gonzales, Lavaca and Jackson counties at 4.0 percent, Jackson County at 3.8 percent with Victoria and Goliad counties bringing up the rear at 4.7 percent.

For January 2023, there were 344 individuals in Gonzales County seeking employment out of a workforce of 9,413 with 9,069 reported as employed. In February 2023, there were 390 people seeking work in Gonzales County out of an employment force of 9,616 with 9,306 reported as employed.

Unemployment rates since January 2021 for Gonzales County are:

• January 2021, 5.6 percent.

• February 2021, 5.7 percent.

• March 2021, 5.4 percent.

• April 2021, 4.7 percent.

• May 2021, 4.5 percent.

• June 2021, 5.1 percent.

• July 2021, 4.3 percent.

• August 2021, 3.9 percent.

• September 2021, 3.8 percent.

• October 2021, 3.6 percent.

• November 2021, 3.5 percent

• December 2021, 3.2 percent

• January 2022, 3.6 percent

• February 2022, 3.4 percent

• March 2022, 2.7 percent.

• April 2022, 2.6 percent.

• May 2022, 2.9 percent.

• June 2022, 3.5 percent.

• July 2022, 3.2 percent.

• August 2022, 3.2 percent.

• September 2022, 3.1 percent.

• October 2022, 3.1 percent.

• November 2022, 3.1 percent

• December 2022, 2.7 percent.

• January 2023, 3.7 percent.

• February 2023, 4.0 percent.