(HOUSTON) Ten of the eleven job sectors, which make up Houston’s economy, posted growth in October as the area added 23,600 jobs, according to figures released Friday morning by Workforce Solutions-Gulf Coast.
Behind government jobs, which saw a two-percent increase in hiring last month, retailers and warehouse operations were the biggest contributors in October, which pushed the sector upward by 6,100 jobs. “Typically, the Trade, Transportation and Retail sector adds about half that many positions during the October, so this is substantially above the long-term average,” said Parker Harvey, senior economist at Workforce Solutions. “This could be an indication that retailers are preparing for a busy holiday season.”
The recovery in oil prices, which hit its most recent peak on October 9th, likely spurred additional job growth in three related industries: Professional and Business services (+2,400), Construction (+2,100), and in the Mining and Logging industries (+1,200). However, Harvey says he’s keeping an eye on one sector in particular, “While this month’s numbers are positive, overall growth in Professional and Business Services has slowed over the last three months compared to this time last year.”
More people re-entered the workforce in October, pushing the local unemployment rate down nearly half a point to 3.8 percent and continuing to close the gap with the state’s unemployment rate, which stands at 3.5 percent.
The Texas Workforce Commission will release employment numbers for November 2018 on December 21.
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ABOUT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS: Workforce Solutions, the public workforce system in the 13-county Houston-Galveston region, helps employers meet human resource needs and area residents build careers so both can better compete in the global economy. Offering placement, career counseling and financial aid services, Workforce Solutions operates multiple community-based career offices to help residents find employment or advance their careers. As part of the statewide Texas Workforce Solutions network, we partner with the Texas Workforce Commission and other workforce boards in the largest job-matching database in the state – WorkInTexas.com.