Some of the best news for the holidays and New Years celebrations comes from a new report concluding that two out of three companies surveyed say they're going to be expanding their hiring in Houston in the first six months of next year.
This can mean more job availability and a more fluid job market, making it a little easier for people keep, change or find new jobs.
"We're excited to report that 66-percent of Houston companies plan to add permanent positions in the first half of next year, which is up 56% from one year ago," Robert Half Houston Senior Regional Director Brandi Clark told Newsradio 740 KTRH.
"The market's very optimistic and clearly companies are looking to do some hiring next year.
"It's pretty spread out, across all industries, across all phases of companies.
"And a lot of the hiring is being done because companies are looking to expand -- 59% of companies cited company growth as the primary factor influencing their hiring decisions," Ms. Clark said.
"Sixty-nine percent are due to new projects they're looking to kick off in 2025, and then 37% are due to employee turnover, they're looking to fill some spots that have been vacated."
The Houston area's job growth projection, at 66%, is a little higher than the national job growth expected, at 63%, according to Robert Half.
And then there are some of the challenges companies are facing, Clark said, including "delayed project timelines and missed project deadlines, as well as employee burnout for not filling roles quick enough, so making sure they're moving people through the hiring process is important."