Texas adds more jobs in first three months of 2022 than in all previous years dating to 1990

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square

Texas added more jobs in the first three months of 2022 than it has in all previous years dating to 1990, the Texas Workforce Commission reports.

“We’ve added 152,200 positions so far in 2022, which is more jobs over the first three months than any previous year dating back to 1990,” TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel said in a statement. “The prosperous economic climate in Texas expands opportunities for all who call Texas home.”

Texas added 30,100 total nonagricultural jobs in March 2022, bringing its total nonfarm jobs to 13,207,600.

It’s March seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.4% remained higher than the nation’s 3.6% rate but is significantly lower than Texas’ all-time high April 2020 unemployment rate of 12.9%.

The announcement comes after Texas in December 2021 reached 13,059,600 total jobs, surpassing all previous employment highs.

“The Lone Star State has the fastest growing economy in America,” On Tuesday morning, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted after the first quarter data was released, pointing to a map of real GDP percentage changes for the last two quarters of 2021. “Texas was the #1 state in America for gross domestic product for the 4th quarter. It expanded at a 10.1% annual rate. I’ve never seen it that high. Thanks to businesses large & small for this stunning number.”

Since March 2021, Texas has added 731,600 jobs, regaining the number of jobs it lost after the state’s year-long shutdown, which began in March 2020 and resulted in 1.4 million jobs lost that spring.

By June 2020, Texas led the nation in oil and gas bankruptcies. The industry “suffered a bloodbath of sorts in April as the state began to register the full effects of the Covid-19 lockdowns, with upstream jobs tumbling to the largest monthly decline on record,” Natural Gas Intel reported at the time.

After Abbott lifted his COVID-19-related restrictions in March 2021, by December 2021 Texas had made employment gains in 19 of 20 consecutive months and reached a record employment level.

By March 2022, the most jobs were added in Financial Activities (7,800), Manufacturing (5,600), and Education and Health Services (5,500).

“Texas continues to add jobs month after month, meaning more career opportunities for our Texas workforce,” TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez said in a statement. “From registered apprenticeship programs designed to fill high-demand job openings to child care resources for families and providers, TWC continues to offer tools and resources to help our workforce succeed at advancing in their careers.”

The areas reporting the lowest unemployment rate of 2.9% each were Amarillo and Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Areas, followed by College Station-Bryan’s 2.9%, and Lubbock’s 3%.

“Our state’s unemployment rate continues to fall, which is a direct indication that Texans are taking advantage of the numerous career opportunities created by our Texas employers,” TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson said in a statement. “Texas employers, large and small, continue to show their strength, innovation and vitality by adding jobs to our world-class Lone Star State labor market.”

Several areas in the state still have high unemployment rates, with some nearly double the national rate. In March, McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission had the highest unemployment rate of 7%, followed by Beaumont-Port Arthur’s 6.6%, Brownsville-Harlingen’s 6.1%, Corpus Christi’s 5.3% and Odessa’s 5.1%.

Private jobs in March totaled 11,232,900 with Trade, Transportation, and Utilities having the greatest number employed of 2,661,300. Professional and Business Services had the next greatest number of 1,986,800 people employed, followed by 1,775,900 employed in Education and Health Services.

Overall, the third-largest employer in Texas is the government. In March, there were 1,974,700 people employed by federal, state, county or local governments.