According to the most recent report from the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness, non-farm employment exhibited a marginal increase in El Paso, Las Cruces, and Ciudad Juárez.
The employment numbers for El Paso show an increase of 800 jobs, 500 jobs in Las Cruces, and 2,700 jobs in Juárez.
On a year-over-year basis in March, the service sector experienced decreases in El Paso, Las Cruces, and Ciudad Juárez of 9,500
jobs, 4,100 jobs, and 2,800 jobs respectively.
The same report shows that the number of unemployment insurance claimants increased by about 6,000 from February to March in the region.
“Breaking down claimants by educational attainment levels shows that high school degree graduates or GED holders, associate’s degree graduates, and those who did not complete high school were the groups with the highest number of claimants,” institute officials reported.
Additionally, for the January to March 2021 period, loaded truck container border crossings increased at eight of the top ten ports on a year-over-year basis, while pedestrian traffic was down significantly.
“With border traffic at the top ports decreasing, the largest declines in terms of total passenger and pedestrian crossings in
the first quarter on a year-over-year basis were observed at the El Paso and San Ysidro ports of entry,” the report found.
The top ports were all down when compared to the January to March 2019 period. The port with the largest decreases in the first three months of 2021 compared to 2019 was the El Paso PoE down 3,291,000.
