HOUSTON EMPLOYMENT GROWTH STRONGER THAN AVERAGE IN APRIL

(HOUSTON, Texas, May 16, 2025) Houston-area employers went on a hiring spree during the first full month of spring, adding 14,400 jobs in April, surpassing the long-term average of 7,400, according to data released Friday by Workforce Solutions – Gulf Coast. Eight out of the eleven sectors tracked in the report added jobs last month. Professional & Business Services led job creation in April with 5,600 positions. The majority of new hires in this sector occurred in the Administrative and Support Services subsector, which added 3,600 jobs. The subsector encompasses a wide range of activities, including office administration, employment services, and business support activities, among others. “We continue to see volatility in this sector,” said Workforce Solutions principal data analyst Mohammad Ahmadizadeh. “The sector is up only 700 jobs year-over-year and has posted job losses for six out of the last twelve months, including in the four prior to April.” However, he added, there is the potential the sector could add jobs over the next few months. The Leisure and Hospitality sector also added jobs in April, to the tune of 3,900, followed by Educational & Health Services, which added 1,800, primarily in the Health Care and Social Assistance subsector. Not-seasonally adjusted unemployment fell three-tenths of a point to 3.9 percent versus 4.2 percent in March. Seasonally-adjusted unemployment remains unavailable for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metropolitan statistical area (MSA), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas’ seasonally adjusted unemployment for March was unchanged from February at 4.1 percent. Additional labor market information, including the detailed April report, can be found online at www.wrksolutions.com/localstats. The Texas Workforce Commission will release May employment data on June 20, 2025.