Monthly Update: Houston Metro Employment

December '23, Latest Data

Published on 3/8/24

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Metro Houston created 102,900 jobs in ’23, according to the benchmark revisions released today by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). The agency, which surveys employers throughout the year for its monthly reports, originally estimated 70,100 jobs for the region in ’23. The revisions indicate Houston’s economy grew at a more robust pace last year than previously thought.

The adjustments came from the annual benchmark revisions, a review that TWC starts each fall, culminating with the release of updated employment data in March. The job reports that TWC releases throughout the year are based on a sample of area employers responding to the commission’s survey. Like all surveys, it’s subject to sampling, non-response, and processing errors. The revised job counts are based on unemployment insurance premiums paid by employers, and therefore provide a more accurate picture of job growth or losses.

All but a handful of sectors finished the year with net job gains, underscoring the broad nature of the current expansion. The greatest gains occurred in health care, government (mostly education), and professional services. A handful of subsectors shed jobs: heavy construction (-300), department stores (-500), telecommunications (-500), accounting (-600), and employment services (-7,500).

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Houston has now logged three consecutive years of exceptional job growth. Since the economy reopened in May ’20, the region has created 558,500 jobs. Today, payroll employment in Houston is nearly 200,000 jobs above February ’20 levels.

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