Texas job growth continues to rise, unemployment continues to drop
AUSTIN – Texas added 30,800 total nonagricultural jobs over the month, marking the ninth consecutive month of job growth. Private sector employment moved in the same direction with an increase of 32,600 positions for the month. The Texas unemployment rate for January 2021 was 6.8 percent, down from 6.9 percent in December 2020.
“The continued job growth in January is a promising sign for our economic recovery,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “TWC continues to provide opportunities for Texans to enhance job skills or to find a new job at MyTxCareer.com.”
In January, the Professional and Business Services industry added 12,800 jobs. Financial Activities added 8,400 jobs, Construction added 3,000 jobs and Leisure and Hospitality added 2,900 jobs.
“This month continues to show increased job growth and emphasizes the need for skilled workers in Texas” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “TWC is proud to help all workers sharpen their skills through programs like Metrix online learning, which is available free to all Texans.”
The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded January’s lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 4.9 percent, followed by the Austin-Round Rock MSA with the second lowest rate of 5.4 percent. The College Station-Bryan MSA recorded the third lowest rate of 5.6 percent.
“Texas employers continue to show astounding resilience in getting Texans back to work,” said Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson. “As Texas re-opens to 100%, my office will continue to be a frontline resource for Texas employers, providing them with the best information and tools available to assist with operating their businesses proficiently.”
Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit TexasLMI.com.
| January 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Employed (in thousands) |
Unemployed (in thousands) |
Rate | |
| United States | 148,383.0 | 10,851.0 | 6.8% |
| Texas | 13,000.1 | 1,027.8 | 7.3% |
| Abilene | 73.7 | 4.4 | 5.7% |
| Amarillo | 125.8 | 6.5 | 4.9% |
| Austin-Round Rock | 1,191.1 | 67.5 | 5.4% |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | 151.8 | 19.9 | 11.6% |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | 152.0 | 17.9 | 10.5% |
| College Station-Bryan | 124.8 | 7.3 | 5.6% |
| Corpus Christi | 181.6 | 18.4 | 9.2% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 3,765.4 | 263.2 | 6.5% |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving MD | 2,544.8 | 175.4 | 6.4% |
| Fort Worth-Arlington MD | 1,220.6 | 87.8 | 6.7% |
| El Paso | 339.8 | 29.7 | 8.0% |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 3,093.4 | 278.2 | 8.3% |
| Killeen-Temple | 166.1 | 12.5 | 7.0% |
| Laredo | 106.2 | 9.7 | 8.4% |
| Longview | 88.3 | 7.8 | 8.1% |
| Lubbock | 154.1 | 9.4 | 5.8% |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | 321.3 | 43.3 | 11.9% |
| Midland | 89.7 | 8.1 | 8.2% |
| Odessa | 70.3 | 9.4 | 11.8% |
| San Angelo | 50.8 | 3.5 | 6.4% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 1,126.0 | 79.8 | 6.6% |
| Sherman-Denison | 61.1 | 3.7 | 5.7% |
| Texarkana | 59.4 | 4.2 | 6.6% |
| Tyler | 102.1 | 7.3 | 6.7% |
| Victoria | 40.6 | 3.7 | 8.3% |
| Waco | 121.1 | 7.9 | 6.1% |
| Wichita Falls | 59.6 | 4.4 | 6.9% |
| INDUSTRY TITLE | Jan 2021* (in thousands) |
Dec 2020 (in thousands) |
Jan 2020 (in thousands) |
Dec ’20 to Jan ’21 | Jan ’20 to Jan ’21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent Change | Percent Change | ||||
| Total Nonagricultural | 12,396,000 | 12,365,200 | 12,956,200 | 0.2% |
-4.3% |
| Total Private | 10,436,700 | 10,404,100 | 10,956,800 | 0.3% |
-4.7% |
| Goods Producing | 1,762,200 | 1,759,100 | 1,924,500 | 0.2% |
-8.4% |
| Mining and Logging | 177,900 | 175,100 | 234,400 | 1.6% |
-24.1% |
| Construction | 728,800 | 725,800 | 778,500 | 0.4% |
-6.4% |
| Manufacturing | 855,500 | 858,200 | 911,600 | -0.3% |
-6.2% |
| Service Providing | 10,633,800 | 10,606,100 | 11,031,700 | 0.3% |
-3.6% |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 2,515,900 | 2,514,700 | 2,537,000 | 0.0% |
-0.8% |
| Information | 199,000 | 198,200 | 212,300 | 0.4% |
-6.3% |
| Financial Activities | 815,400 | 807,000 | 816,300 | 1.0% |
-0.1% |
| Professional and Business Services | 1,820,600 | 1,807,800 | 1,826,600 | 0.7% |
-0.3% |
| Education and Health Services | 1,705,100 | 1,703,000 | 1,772,700 | 0.1% |
-3.8% |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 1,217,400 | 1,214,500 | 1,415,100 | 0.2% |
-14.0% |
| Other Services | 401,100 | 399,800 | 452,300 | 0.3% |
-11.3% |
| Government | 1,959,300 | 1,961,100 | 1,999,400 | -0.1% | -2.0% |
