Houston-area employers beefed up their workforce, adding 12,100 new workers to the payrolls in May, according to numbers released this morning by Workforce Solutions. When adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, employers brought on 19,600 new workers.
White collar jobs in the Professional & Business services industry led all other sectors, with most of the hiring in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services subsector. Workforce Solutions economist Parker Harvey says most of the jobs are oil and gas related, noting that “Year-over-year growth in this sector is now higher than it was prior to the last oil bust.”
The second biggest sector gain occurred in Leisure and Hospitality as restaurants, bars, and recreation/entertainment venues added staff for the summer. Michelle Castrow, Planning Manager at Workforce Solutions, says now is a great time for young people to get their first job. “What these jobs offer, aside from a paycheck, are lessons in essential workplace skills like showing up on time and working as part of a team,” she said, adding it’s not too late to apply. More information on summer work can be found at wrksolutions.com/summerjobs.
Additional labor market information and the detailed May report can be found at wrksolutions.com/localstats. The Texas Workforce Commission will release employment numbers for June 2019 on July 19, 2019.