Metro Tulsa's jobless rate fell in July, just as it has in that month for the past 23 years.
The seven-county metro area recorded a 5.2 percent unemployment rate last month, down from 5.9 percent in June, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
For the year, the area's jobless rate has fluctuated from a 4.7 percent low in April to a 5.9 percent high in both January and June. In July 2012, the rate was 5.7 percent.
The state's other two metros - Oklahoma City and Lawton - also posted lower monthly unemployment rates. Oklahoma City's 4.8 percent rate was the lowest among the nation's 49 largest metros.
Ever since 1990, the Tulsa area's jobless rate has dropped every July, said Lynn Gray, the OESC's chief economist.
"We've got this same pattern. We've got a decline in unemployment and the unemployment rate, but the magnitude here is more than in most years. So, there is more going on than just seasonal factors," Gray said.
According to a household survey from which the unemployment rate is calculated, the metro's labor force dropped slightly while total employment, which includes self-employed people and farm jobs, rose. The number of unemployed people fell by more than 3,200.
A larger survey among business establishments shows that the area's nonfarm employment dropped by 700 over the month to total 427,900. That figure represents a 7,600 job-gain from a year earlier.
Typically in July, the Tulsa area sees a 4,000- to 5,000-job decline in the local government sector, which includes teachers, but this July the area logged only a 1,300-job decline, Gray said.
"It will be interesting to see what August and September look like," he said.
The job data for the metro area are not seasonally adjusted. If the numbers were seasonally adjusted, they probably would still show a decline in the area's unemployment rate, said Bob Ball, economist with the Tulsa Regional Chamber.
"We're still comfortably moving along in the economy," Ball said.
He pointed to growth in the area's manufacturing sector, which added 300 jobs over the month and 2,200 jobs over the year, or a 4.4 percent gain.
Construction, likewise, looked strong as it logged a 1,200-job gain over the year for a 6 percent gain.
"There are orange drums everywhere, but a lot of that (construction) is also in more capital improvements, not just improvement of the roads. ... And that just bodes well for continued growth, " Ball said.
Nationwide, unemployment rates were lower in July than a year earlier in 320 of the 372 metros, according to the BLS.
Yuma, Ariz., had the highest rate at 34.5 percent; Bismarck, N.D., had the lowest rate at 2.5 percent, the BLS reported.
Jobs gains and losses among Tulsa metro's super sectors over the month in July:
(Based on nonseasonally adjusted data from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission)
Mining and logging unchanged
Construction +300
Manufacturing +300
Trade, transportation and utilities +1,300
Information +100
Financial activities unchanged
Professional and business services +200
Educational and health services -1,000
Leisure and hospitality -700
Other services unchanged
Government -1,200
Performance of metro's super sectors over the year:
Mining and logging +100
Construction +1,200
Manufacturing +2,200
Trade, transportation and utilities +400
Information unchanged
Financial activities -100
Professional and business services +900
Educational and health services -100
Leisure and hospitality unchanged
Other services -400
Government +3,400
Laurie Winslow 918-581-8466
laurie.winslow@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Jobless rate for area falls to 5.2 percent
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