AUSTIN (October 16, 2009)--The seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate increased to 8.2 percent in September, as the state lost another 44,700 jobs.

The Texas Workforce Commission said Friday the seasonally adjusted jobless rate increased 0.2 percent from August, when the rate hit 8 percent for the first time in 22 years.

The last stretch of 8 percent-plus unemployment lasted 22 months, starting in February 1986.

In Central Texas, rates, which are not seasonally adjusted, remained below the state average.

In the metropolitan Waco area, the September rate was 7.1 percent, down slightly from 7.3 percent in August.

In September 2008, Waco’s jobless rate was 4.8 percent.

In the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood area, the September rate was 7.3 percent, up from 7.0 percent in August and more than 2 percent higher than in September 2008, when the jobless rate was 5.3 percent.

Commission chairman Tom Pauken says most Texas industries recorded job losses in September.

The Texas rate is still less than the national unemployment figure of 9.8 percent, which is a 26-year high.

“While unemployment in Texas remains well below the national rate of 9.8 percent, this serious national recession continues to affect us adversely in Texas,” Pauken said.

Unemployment rates are adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most economists believe gives a better picture of the job market.