The city of McAllen continues to show that it is the place to work, live and play; this time, by lowering its unemployment numbers this past month to what was reported one year ago.   While McAllen was the leader with the lowest unemployment rate in the Rio Grande Valley, dropping .2% to 4.9%, compared to Edinburg decreasing by .1%. to 5.1%, and Harlingen decreasing to .3% to 6.1%, Laredo continues to have the lowest unemployment rate at 4.0%, matching the state rate, as well.  However, the entire South Texas border region showed decreasing unemployment rates across the five-county area (Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, Willacy and Webb) for the month of July in comparison.  The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate decreased by .1% to 3.9%. 

“McAllen is without a doubt continuing to be the leader throughout the Rio Grande Valley, in terms of growth and opportunity for residents in the area ready to work,” said McAllen Mayor Jim Darling.  “The City of McAllen continues to find ways to diversify the economy, which translates to new jobs replacing old jobs.  We will continue to make sure that we work with all entities involved in the employment industry to make sure that there are jobs to be had and a ready workforce to fill them.” 

In fact, jobs seekers may find that opportunity this Saturday, August 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. when the McAllen Public Library hosts their semi-annual job fair, in partnership with Workforce Solutions of the Rio Grande Valley.  Over 50 employers will be on site; attendees should go dressed to impress with resumes in hand or ready to fill out printed or online applications and be ready for interviews on site. 

For those who need to develop a resume, the McAllen Public Library has partnered with Goodwill Industries of South Texas, Inc. to provide free classes designed to assist adults at any point in the job seeking process. Each class will cover topics like searching for jobs, preparing resumes, and interview techniques. Classes will be held at the Main Library on Friday, August 24, from 2:00-4:00PM.  All adults are welcome to attend.

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