NM unemployment second highest

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions has released its latest labor market review, which breaks down the state’s employment data for January and concludes that New Mexico is grappling with the second-highest unemployment rate in the country.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor of Statistics, New Mexico’s unemployment rate in January was 5.9 percent, surpassed only by the District of Columbia, at 6.3 percent. California had the third-worst ranking, with a 5.8 percent unemployment rate.

The Department of Workforce Solutions interviewed households and asked them what their employment status was — it found a little over 55,500 people were unemployed in New Mexico, and over 889,000 people were employed in the state. It also reported New Mexico’s total nonagricultural employment increased by 46,700 jobs, or 6 percent.