Texas Reaches New Employment High of 12,998,200 Jobs, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Employment Level
Date: December 17, 2021
Media Contact: Cisco Gamez
Phone: 512-463-8556
Unemployment rate falls to 5.2%
AUSTIN - The Texas labor market has surpassed its previous pre-pandemic employment high in February 2020 of 12,970,000 jobs by reaching 12,998,200 total nonagricultural jobs in November 2021. In November, Texas added 75,100 jobs, also marking gains in 18 of the last 19 months. Texas has added a total of 698,700 jobs since November 2020. The seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from October 2021.
"Texas continues to reach unprecedented milestones thanks to our unwavering commitment to economic freedom and our young, skilled, growing, and diverse workforce," said Governor Abbott. "By reaching nearly 13 million jobs last month, Texas has surpassed our pre-pandemic employment levels — a remarkable achievement and testament to our welcoming business climate and strong workforce. We will continue to unleash the full might of our economy, attract new business investments, and ensure a more prosperous future for all who call Texas home."
In November, the Professional and Business Services industry gained 22,900 jobs over the month. Leisure and Hospitality added 12,500 positions. Financial Activities added 9,300 jobs.
"Reaching this milestone for job creation in Texas shows the strength of our economy," said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “The Lone Star State continues to create opportunities for Texans to succeed and TWC has many resources to help both employers and job seekers find success in our state.”
The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded November's lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 3.1 percent, followed by the Austin-Round Rock MSA at 3.2 percent and College Station-Bryan at 3.5 percent.
“Texas is not only a great place to live but a great place to find a career, and we’ve now surpassed a milestone of employment,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “We continue to add positions month after month in our labor market, and TWC is here to support job seekers with the training and career development tools they need to succeed.”
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.
“Texas continues to be the top destination to do business, and the record-setting job growth we’ve seen month after month shows employers are committed to growing their footprint in our great state,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson. “One reason Texas stands out is the unparalleled access Texas employers have to resources at the state and local level that allow them to hire, train, and retain their employees, and together this results in a continued thriving Lone Star State economy.”
The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Data for December is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 21, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (CDT).
| November 2021 | October 2021 | November 2020 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | C.L.F. | Emp. | Unemp. | Rate | |
| United States | 162,099.0 | 155,797.0 | 6,302.0 | 3.9 | 161,863.0 | 154,966.0 | 6,896.0 | 4.3 | 160,468.0 | 150,203.0 | 10,264.0 | 6.4 |
| Texas | 14,430.4 | 13,775.3 | 655.2 | 4.5 | 14,315.6 | 13,634.5 | 681.1 | 4.8 | 14,050.1 | 13,076.6 | 973.5 | 6.9 |
| Abilene | 81.6 | 78.6 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 81.5 | 78.3 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 78.4 | 74.3 | 4.1 | 5.2 |
| Amarillo | 136.5 | 132.2 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 136.0 | 131.5 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 132.8 | 126.9 | 5.9 | 4.4 |
| Austin-Round Rock | 1,332.5 | 1,290.1 | 42.5 | 3.2 | 1,321.1 | 1,276.5 | 44.6 | 3.4 | 1,254.0 | 1,189.4 | 64.6 | 5.1 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | 175.3 | 162.3 | 13.0 | 7.4 | 174.0 | 160.8 | 13.2 | 7.6 | 171.5 | 153.9 | 17.6 | 10.3 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | 170.3 | 158.6 | 11.7 | 6.9 | 169.5 | 157.5 | 11.9 | 7.0 | 168.9 | 152.8 | 16.1 | 9.5 |
| College Station-Bryan | 136.6 | 131.8 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 135.4 | 130.3 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 135.1 | 128.5 | 6.6 | 4.9 |
| Corpus Christi | 205.5 | 193.3 | 12.3 | 6.0 | 204.4 | 192.0 | 12.4 | 6.1 | 200.8 | 183.5 | 17.3 | 8.6 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 4,192.7 | 4,027.3 | 165.5 | 3.9 | 4,138.9 | 3,965.1 | 173.8 | 4.2 | 4,033.7 | 3,783.6 | 250.2 | 6.2 |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving MD | 2,831.5 | 2,720.8 | 110.8 | 3.9 | 2,797.4 | 2,681.4 | 116.1 | 4.1 | 2,717.3 | 2,550.4 | 166.9 | 6.1 |
| Fort Worth-Arlington MD | 1,361.2 | 1,306.5 | 54.7 | 4.0 | 1,341.4 | 1,283.7 | 57.7 | 4.3 | 1,316.4 | 1,233.2 | 83.3 | 6.3 |
| El Paso | 372.5 | 353.9 | 18.6 | 5.0 | 370.8 | 351.4 | 19.4 | 5.2 | 372.0 | 342.2 | 29.8 | 8.0 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 3,480.0 | 3,301.8 | 178.2 | 5.1 | 3,449.8 | 3,264.9 | 184.9 | 5.4 | 3,389.1 | 3,122.3 | 266.9 | 7.9 |
| Killeen-Temple | 183.9 | 175.1 | 8.8 | 4.8 | 182.9 | 173.8 | 9.0 | 4.9 | 179.5 | 168.1 | 11.4 | 6.3 |
| Laredo | 117.4 | 111.5 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 116.8 | 110.6 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 115.8 | 106.6 | 9.2 | 7.9 |
| Longview | 97.4 | 92.5 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 97.3 | 92.1 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 95.8 | 88.4 | 7.5 | 7.8 |
| Lubbock | 166.9 | 161.0 | 6.0 | 3.6 | 166.5 | 160.2 | 6.4 | 3.8 | 163.9 | 155.2 | 8.7 | 5.3 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | 371.0 | 342.6 | 28.4 | 7.7 | 367.8 | 339.9 | 27.9 | 7.6 | 359.9 | 321.2 | 38.7 | 10.7 |
| Midland | 101.2 | 96.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 100.2 | 95.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 97.9 | 89.5 | 8.5 | 8.6 |
| Odessa | 80.4 | 75.3 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 79.6 | 74.3 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 80.6 | 70.8 | 9.8 | 12.2 |
| San Angelo | 55.0 | 52.8 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 54.9 | 52.6 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 54.7 | 51.4 | 3.3 | 6.0 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 1,246.6 | 1,195.8 | 50.8 | 4.1 | 1,241.2 | 1,187.8 | 53.4 | 4.3 | 1,209.5 | 1,132.6 | 76.9 | 6.4 |
| Sherman-Denison | 67.0 | 64.5 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 66.9 | 64.2 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 65.1 | 61.6 | 3.4 | 5.3 |
| Texarkana | 63.6 | 61.0 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 63.1 | 60.4 | 2.7 | 4.3 | 63.0 | 59.2 | 3.8 | 6.1 |
| Tyler | 116.1 | 111.6 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 115.9 | 111.1 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 109.4 | 102.7 | 6.7 | 6.1 |
| Victoria | 44.4 | 42.1 | 2.4 | 5.3 | 44.1 | 41.6 | 2.4 | 5.5 | 44.3 | 40.8 | 3.5 | 7.8 |
| Waco | 132.5 | 127.3 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 131.9 | 126.5 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 129.0 | 121.7 | 7.3 | 5.6 |
| Wichita Falls | 64.8 | 62.1 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 65.0 | 62.2 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 64.1 | 60.0 | 4.1 | 6.4 |
| INDUSTRY TITLE | Nov 2021* | Oct 2020 | Nov 2020 | Oct '21 to Nov '21 | Nov '20 to Nov '21 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Change | Percent Change | Absolute Change | Percent Change | ||||
| Total Nonagricultural | 12,998,200 | 12,923,100 | 12,299,500 | 75,100 | 0.6 | 698,700 | 5.7 |
| Total Private | 11,016,700 | 10,943,300 | 10,339,400 | 73,400 | 0.7 | 677,300 | 6.6 |
| Goods Producing | 1,828,400 | 1,819,400 | 1,752,400 | 9,000 | 0.5 | 76,000 | 4.3 |
| Mining and Logging | 203,400 | 199,700 | 173,200 | 3,700 | 1.9 | 30,200 | 17.4 |
| Construction | 738,100 | 734,500 | 723,800 | 3,600 | 0.5 | 14,300 | 2.0 |
| Manufacturing | 886,900 | 885,200 | 855,400 | 1,700 | 0.2 | 31,500 | 3.7 |
| Service Providing | 11,169,800 | 11,103,700 | 10,547,100 | 66,100 | 0.6 | 622,700 | 5.9 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 2,624,700 | 2,618,500 | 2,504,700 | 6,200 | 0.2 | 120,000 | 4.8 |
| Information | 208,400 | 207,200 | 195,400 | 1,200 | 0.6 | 13,000 | 6.7 |
| Financial Activities | 848,300 | 839,000 | 811,300 | 9,300 | 1.1 | 37,000 | 4.6 |
| Professional and Business Services | 1,979,900 | 1,957,000 | 1,779,100 | 22,900 | 1.2 | 200,800 | 11.3 |
| Education and Health Services | 1,761,200 | 1,752,200 | 1,696,400 | 9,000 | 0.5 | 64,800 | 3.8 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 1,336,400 | 1,323,900 | 1,203,300 | 12,500 | 0.9 | 133,100 | 11.1 |
| Other Services | 429,400 | 426,100 | 396,800 | 3,300 | 0.8 | 32,600 | 8.2 |
| Government | 1,981,500 | 1,979,800 | 1,960,100 | 1,700 | 0.1 | 21,400 | 1.1 |
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The Texas Workforce Commission is a state agency dedicated to helping Texas employers, workers and communities prosper economically. For details on TWC and the services it offers in coordination with its network of local workforce development boards, call 512-463-8942 or visit www.texasworkforce.org. To receive notifications about TWC programs and services subscribe to our email updates.
