Albuquerque – New Mexico now has the 6th highest unemployment in the country according to the latest rankings released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. One of the reasons for the low ranking is the continued difficulties in the sector which includes the energy industry. Since August of 2019, jobs in the sector are down 30.3% with 1,300 jobs lost in just the last month.

"It's no coincidence that at the same time our energy industry is struggling New Mexico's unemployment rate is among the highest in the country," said Larry Behrens, Western States Director for Power The Future. "Radical environmentalists and their allies in Santa Fe may celebrate when an energy worker loses their job, but our abysmal unemployment ranking proves the consequences are very real for our state and our communities."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it appears August 2020 employment in the sector that includes many of New Mexico's oil and natural gas jobs is at its lowest point since May 2010.

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