SAN ANTONIO -- The unemployment rate for the San Antonio metropolitan area shrunk slightly in October, coming in at 7 percent, compared to 7.1 percent in September.

The region gained a net 1,100 jobs, according to Workforce Solutions Alamo.

That's little consolation to JoAnn Delgadill, who was laid off last month from her health services job of seven years.

"We were real lucky at the beginning of the year. They said, 'We're all safe.' It kind of astounded me," Delgadill said while looking for job leads at the Texas Workforce career center on South Flores.

The bulk of the October job gain was in government jobs, particularly new public schools.

"We attribute that to local government and schools closing out payroll and hiring all the people they need," said Eva Esquivel of Workforce Solutions Alamo.

Some industries saw job losses in October, including seasonal job losses in hospitality, construction, retail and manufacturing.

Manufacturing jobs may begin to show some positive numbers as Toyota is ramping up for increased spring production. Esquivel added that the San Antonio Manufacturing Association reports that other employers are going to start moving people back on to payrolls.

San Antonio's jobless rate remains better than Austin, Houston and Dallas.

The state unemployment rate also dropped slightly, down 8.1 percent in October from 8.2 percent in September.

The nation's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.5 percent.