Texas Workforce Commission said last week that Texas added 58,200 positions in February to lead the nation in jobs added in the past month. And TWC said February marks two years of uninterrupted monthly job growth in the state. Since February 2022 Texas has added 611,400 jobs. Bryan Daniel, TWC chairman, said March 24, “The past 24 months of uninterrupted job growth show the strength of the Texas economy and ongoing economic opportunities for Texans.”
Among industries, Mining and Logging (oil and gas) was one of three that reported a decline in jobs from January to February. TWC said Mining and Logging declined by 1,700 jobs (0.8 percent) in the past month, but in the past year the industry has added 19,900 jobs – from 192,100 jobs in February 2022 to 212,000 jobs in February 2023 (213,700 in January). That growth of 10.4 percent is the largest in the past year among industries.
In the past month, Professional and Business Services led the state’s industries in job growth by adding 30,300 positions. Midland continues to lead the state in lowest unemployment rate at 3.0 percent in February. Employment estimates by TWC are produced in cooperation with Bureau of Labor Statistics in U.S. Department of Labor and are subject to revision.