(HOUSTON) The Houston area added nearly 14,000 jobs in September as teachers and support staff returned for the start of a new school year, according to figures released Friday morning by Workforce Solutions-Gulf Coast.
The Government sector grew 5.1% last month, adding 19,600 workers. But those gains were partially offset by seasonal job losses in Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (primarily retail) and the Leisure & Hospitality sectors as summer workers returned to the classroom. Workforce Solutions economist Parker Harvey says hiring in other employment sectors was essentially flat in September, but that’s not where the story is.
“The real story is that since this time last year the Houston area has added 128,700 jobs. That is record-breaking growth for a one-year period,” he said. “Remember, we were dealing with lower oil prices and the after effects from the flooding brought on by Hurricane Harvey. Since then, however, the Houston economy has really revved up.”
Harvey notes that 10 out of 11 employment sectors show growth year-over-year, with the biggest expansion coming in Professional and Business Services, Construction, and Trade, Transportation & Utilities (which incudes the retail subsector). “Some of the growth in both the Construction and Trade sectors can be attributed to storm recovery as people rebuild their homes and buy new furnishing to replace what was lost.”
“Business and Professional services, which has added 33,200 jobs in the last year, has been driven primarily by the stabilization of oil prices at a level that allows that sector of the economy to staff up,” he said.
The unemployment rate for September fell two-tenths of a point to 4.1%, nearly one-percent lower from where it stood one year ago.
The Texas Workforce Commission will release employment numbers for August 2018 on September 21.