.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico’s unemployment rate dropped again in November despite a new round of state business restrictions, according to new numbers from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.5% last month, down from 8.1% in October, according to the agency.

The figure still remains higher than the national unemployment rate, which stood at 6.7% in November, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In November, 10 states posted higher unemployment rates than New Mexico, including Arizona and Texas, according to federal data.

In New Mexico, private-sector employment declined by 8.3% year over year. Leisure and hospitality remained the hardest-hit sector, with employment dropping by just over 20% since last November, according to DWS.

Metro Albuquerque’s unemployment rate was 6.8% in November, while the rate stood at 6.7% in Santa Fe, according to DWS. Los Alamos County continued to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, at 3.2%. Luna County’s 14.9% unemployment rate was the highest in the state, according to DWS.