bizjournals: Hot job markets in a cooling economy -- bizjournals

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The nation has seen 394,000o private-sector jobs slip away sincer mid-2007, equaling a loss of 7,570 jobs each The unemployment rate has shot up a full point duringg the samespan -- from 4.7 percent at the halfwau point of 2007 to 5.7 percent this But a few section of the country have managed to dodges this economic carnage. The most prominent exceptiom is Texas, which is home to America'd three hottest labor markets, according to a new bizjournales study. Houston, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth are 1-2-3 in the latesf .
The three Texas markets have added a totalof 107,20p0 private-sector jobs since mid-2007, while keepin their unemployment rates below 5 Texas' impressive performance, ironically enough, is partiallh the result of higher energyy costs, the same factor that has bedevilecd much of the rest of the "The state's natural resources and mining industry, helped by highee oil prices, posted an annuall employment growth rate of 6.
4 percent from June 2007 to June 2008 and rankexd first among Texas industries in employment-growth rate," said a midyeat report from the Texa s also has been able to avoid the mortgagew bubble that burst with devastating impact in other high-growt h states such as California and A identified Houston as one of the nation'sa 10 most-affordable housing markets, with Dallas-Fortf Worth and Austin close behind in 15th and 22nd respectively.
Bizjournals used a to analyze employmengt trends inthe nation