ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Unemployment rate rises

McALLEN — The unemployment rate rose slightly in December as Hidalgo County shed 300 jobs, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday.

The McAllen area retained the designation of the highest unemployment rate in Texas at 11.7 percent in December 2009, up from 11.2 in November, according to the commission.

The jobless rate in the Brownsville area rose more to 11.1 percent in December 2009 from 10.5 percent the month before, according to the data.

The number of claims for unemployment benefits also rose in both Hidalgo and Cameron counties — by 1,800 people to 35,900 in Hidalgo. Cameron County increased by 900 people to 16,800 claimants.

Statewide, Texas lost 23,900 jobs, while the unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent in December 2009, up from 8 percent a month before, according to the commission.

“December job losses offset some of the gains from the last couple of months,” Ronny Congleton, a commissioner representing labor for the workforce, said in a press release.