Texas unemployment rate continued to fall in May, more industries experience full recovery
AUSTIN – Texas added 74,200 total nonagricultural jobs in May 2022. For the seventh consecutive month, the state set new employment highs as total nonfarm jobs reached 13,357,100.
Texas has added a total of 762,400 positions since May 2021. The seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from April 2022.
“Texas continues to set records for employment growth with more than 250,000 jobs added from the beginning of this year through May,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “Training and upskilling are crucial to maintain this level of employment growth, and TWC remains committed to offering innovative training programs.”
Leisure and Hospitality gained 27,600 jobs over the month. Professional and Business Services added 15,300 positions, followed by Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment which grew by 11,700 jobs.
Three major industries surpassed their pre-COVID employment levels for the first time in May 2022 — Construction, Manufacturing, and Leisure and Hospitality.
This brought the total to eight industries that have recovered from the pandemic-related downturn, joining Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, Information, Financial Activities, Professional and Business Services, and Education and Health Services.
“Regardless of your background or skill level, TWC offers pathways to a successful career for all Texans,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “In the coming months, we look forward to highlighting opportunities available in the Texas labor market. Our upcoming GRACE Conference aims to showcase the value of hiring second chance individuals to bolster our Texas economy.”
The Amarillo and Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) recorded May’s lowest unemployment rates among Texas MSAs with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 2.7 percent, followed by College Station-Bryan at 2.9 percent, then Lubbock at 3.0 percent.
“TWC is dedicated to fostering new programs throughout the state to help Texas employers train their current and future workforce for their specific and unique business needs,” said TWC Representing Employers Aaron Demerson. “TWC is here for all Texas employers, large and small. Through the power of new initiatives like Texas Interns Unite!, we look forward to creating career opportunities for our future workforce and keeping Texas the best place to do business.”
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.
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| May 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.L.F. | Employment | Unemployment | Rate | |
| United States | 164,157.0 | 158,609.0 | 5,548.0 | 3.4% |
| Texas | 14,500.6 | 13,946.5 | 554.1 | 3.8% |
| Abilene | 79.1 | 76.6 | 2.5 | 3.2% |
| Amarillo | 134.4 | 130.8 | 3.7 | 2.7% |
| Austin-Round Rock | 1,345.2 | 1,309.0 | 36.2 | 2.7% |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | 165.4 | 154.7 | 10.8 | 6.5% |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | 175.3 | 164.7 | 10.6 | 6.1% |
| College Station-Bryan | 138.9 | 134.8 | 4.1 | 2.9% |
| Corpus Christi | 202.8 | 192.5 | 10.4 | 5.1% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 4,245.2 | 4,105.3 | 140.0 | 3.3% |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving MD | 2,885.6 | 2,791.6 | 94.0 | 3.3% |
| Fort Worth-Arlington MD | 1,359.6 | 1,313.7 | 46.0 | 3.4% |
| El Paso | 361.2 | 345.5 | 15.7 | 4.3% |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 3,488.1 | 3,339.1 | 148.9 | 4.3% |
| Killeen-Temple | 182.1 | 174.6 | 7.5 | 4.1% |
| Laredo | 117.3 | 112.3 | 5.0 | 4.3% |
| Longview | 96.1 | 92.0 | 4.1 | 4.3% |
| Lubbock | 167.8 | 162.7 | 5.1 | 3.0% |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | 368.5 | 343.1 | 25.5 | 6.9% |
| Midland | 103.5 | 100.1 | 3.4 | 3.3% |
| Odessa | 81.4 | 77.5 | 3.9 | 4.8% |
| San Angelo | 54.8 | 53.0 | 1.8 | 3.2% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 1,225.8 | 1,182.9 | 42.9 | 3.5% |
| Sherman-Denison | 66.9 | 64.7 | 2.2 | 3.3% |
| Texarkana | 63.7 | 61.1 | 2.6 | 4.1% |
| Tyler | 109.9 | 106.0 | 3.9 | 3.5% |
| Victoria | 43.7 | 41.8 | 1.9 | 4.3% |
| Waco | 131.6 | 127.2 | 4.4 | 3.4% |
| Wichita Falls | 64.1 | 61.8 | 2.3 | 3.6% |
| INDUSTRY TITLE | May 2022* | April 2022 | May 2021 | April ’22 to May ’22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Change | Percent Change | ||||
| Total Nonagricultural | 13,357,100 | 13,282,900 | 12,594,700 | 74,200 | 0.6% |
| Total Private | 11,377,100 | 11,302,300 | 10,643,200 | 74,800 | 0.7% |
| Goods Producing | 1,907,300 | 1,891,100 | 1,776,200 | 16,200 | 0.9% |
| Mining and Logging | 208,200 | 208,800 | 178,600 | -600 | -0.3% |
| Construction | 783,800 | 773,200 | 729,200 | 10,600 | 1.4% |
| Manufacturing | 915,300 | 909,100 | 868,400 | 6,200 | 0.7% |
| Service Providing | 11,449,800 | 11,391,800 | 10,818,500 | 58,000 | 0.5% |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 2,687,600 | 2,675,900 | 2,550,700 | 11,700 | 0.4% |
| Information | 225,200 | 223,600 | 204,800 | 1,600 | 0.7% |
| Financial Activities | 888,500 | 886,400 | 824,300 | 2,100 | 0.2% |
| Professional and Business Services | 2,006,100 | 1,990,800 | 1,877,800 | 15,300 | 0.8% |
| Education and Health Services | 1,778,900 | 1,782,100 | 1,721,300 | -3,200 | -0.2% |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 1,439,800 | 1,412,200 | 1,275,700 | 27,600 | 2.0% |
| Other Services | 443,700 | 440,200 | 412,400 | 3,500 | 0.8% |
| Government | 1,980,000 | 1,980,600 | 1,951,500 | -600 | 0.0% |
