April Showers Bring May Flowers To Houston’s Employment Picture
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities & Leisure and Hospitality heat up hiring ahead of Summer
Houston-area employers added 18,500 jobs in May, a big reversal from April’s tepid report – even after an upward revision added more jobs than initially reported, according to numbers released Friday from Workforce Solutions.
Seasonal jobs in retail trade and the hospitality sector led hiring for the month, according to Parker Harvey, an economist with workforce development agency. “Summer hiring ramps up in May as companies prepare for additional crowds at restaurants, entertainment, and retail establishments in June and July,” he said, adding that both were revised upward for April. Hiring at restaurants and bars (+2,500) led the sector in May, but hiring at arts, entertainment, and recreation venues, such as water parks, wasn’t too far behind, adding 1,900 new jobs.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities led all sectors in hiring in May, adding 5,300 positions. Wholesalers and retailers combined added 3,200 jobs, or two out of every three jobs in the sector, added last month. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities was also revised upward from April’s estimated loss of 200 jobs to a net gain of 400.
Not seasonally adjusted unemployment jumped a half point to 4.4 percent while the seasonally-adjusted average for April remained steady at 4.3 percent.
Additional labor market information, including the detailed March report can be found online at www.wrksolutions.com/localstats. The Texas Workforce Commission will release May employment data on July 21, 2023.
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Seasonal jobs in retail trade and the hospitality sector led hiring for the month, according to Parker Harvey, an economist with workforce development agency. “Summer hiring ramps up in May as companies prepare for additional crowds at restaurants, entertainment, and retail establishments in June and July,” he said, adding that both were revised upward for April. Hiring at restaurants and bars (+2,500) led the sector in May, but hiring at arts, entertainment, and recreation venues, such as water parks, wasn’t too far behind, adding 1,900 new jobs.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities led all sectors in hiring in May, adding 5,300 positions. Wholesalers and retailers combined added 3,200 jobs, or two out of every three jobs in the sector, added last month. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities was also revised upward from April’s estimated loss of 200 jobs to a net gain of 400.
Not seasonally adjusted unemployment jumped a half point to 4.4 percent while the seasonally-adjusted average for April remained steady at 4.3 percent.
Additional labor market information, including the detailed March report can be found online at www.wrksolutions.com/localstats. The Texas Workforce Commission will release May employment data on July 21, 2023.
