Leisure & Hospitality, Manufacturing Lead April Job Growth In Houston Area

(HOUSTON) Houston-area hotels, restaurants and manufacturers went on a hiring spree in April, according to numbers released Friday by Workforce Solutions-Gulf Coast.

Those two sectors alone contributed more than half of the 22,600 jobs the region added last month, said Workforce Solutions senior economist Parker Harvey, “Durable Goods Producers added 4,400 positions, likely related to the recent spike in oil prices which has driven the total oil and gas rig count above 1,000 for the first time in three years.”

Similarly, those looking for work in the Hospitality industry saw plenty of openings in April. The sector added nearly 7,000 jobs, a new record for the month. Restaurants and bars were in a particularly good hiring mood, contributing more than three-quarters the overall sector’s monthly growth. “Growth in this sector is coming at the right time especially for high school students looking for their first summer job,” said Michelle Ramirez, planning manager with Workforce Solutions. “Work in the Leisure & Hospitality industry gives them experience in customer service, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.”

The report is also good for recent grads.  College graduates should look to growing sectors for new opportunities, while high school graduates can consider long-term growth when making career-related decisions. For those high school graduates who aren’t looking to go to a traditional college, training in technical career fields like manufacturing, healthcare, and construction, can be good, well-paying alternatives.  For more career information, visit wrksolutions.com/careerplanning.

The Houston area’s unemployment rate fell nearly half a point to 4.2%.

For a copy of April’s report, please visit: http://www.wrksolutions.com/Documents/Employer/LMI/CurrentEmploymentStatistics_HoustonRegion_April2018.pdf

The Texas Workforce Commission will release employment numbers for May 2018 on June 15.