TEXAS LABOR MARKET REVIEW MARCH T he Texas Monthly Labor Market Review brings you the most current labor market highlights and happenings across the Lone Star State. The information that follows is produced and published on a monthly basis and includes data on nonagricultural job trends, the labor force, job postings, and other relevent indicators for both the state and sub-state areas. Additional data and historical information is available on our website: Tracer2.com. For additional information, please contact: 1-866-938-4444 lmci@twc.state.tx.us FEBRUARY MONTHLY INDICATORS INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT CES program 6,700 Page 2 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE LAUS program Page 5 INITIAL CLAIMS ONLINE JOB ADS HWOL Page 8 0.1% 27,079 More Indicators Page 10 Labor Market and Career Information 22,586
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS Statewide Industry Employment (Seasonally Adjusted) Total Nonfarm Employment increased by 6,700 jobs in ruary for the smallest monthly gain since August 2016. Six of eleven major industries expanded in ruary, with Education and Health Services adding 11,700 jobs for the largest gain across all industries. The Goods Producing industries added 8,300 jobs, offsetting the combined loss of 1,600 positions across the Service Providing industries. Total Nonfarm Employment expanded by 222,400 jobs over the year, as annual growth held steady at 1.9 percent. While annualized job growth remained significantly below the 5-year average gain of 2.7 percent, the rate stood 0.5 percentage points higher than its ruary 2016 reading of 1.4 percent. Industry Monthly Annual Annual % Total Nonagricultural 12,198,200 6,700 222,400 1.9 Private 10,259,600 12,300 189,200 1.9 Goods-Producing 1,786,200 8,300-3,800-0.2 Mining & Logging 221,400 3,400-15,100-6.4 Construction 711,000 1,000 14,200 2.0 Manufacturing 853,800 3,900-2,900-0.3 Service-Providing 10,412,000-1,600 226,200 2.2 Trade, Transportation & Utilities 2,445,800-10,700 32,100 1.3 Information 196,600-1,400-5,500-2.7 Financial Activities 744,700-1,900 17,400 2.4 Professional & Business Services 1,660,300-1,500 42,300 2.6 Education & Health Services 1,668,900 11,700 53,400 3.3 Leisure & Hospitality 1,325,500 4,400 45,400 3.5 Other Services 431,600 3,400 7,900 1.9 Government 1,938,600-5,600 33,200 1.7 Highlights Mining and Logging employment expanded for a fifth consecutive month. The industry s addition of 5,300 jobs over the past 3 months was the strongest three-month total since November 2014. Manufacturing added jobs for a fourth consecutive month. Annual growth continues to be driven by Nondurable Goods employment, which is up 2.6 percent annually. A decline of positions in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities was the industry s first over-the-month contraction since August 2016. Total Nonagricultural Jobs 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% OTM OTY % Labor Market and Career Information 2
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS Metro Areas (Seasonally Adjusted) Metro Areas Monthly Annual Annual % Abilene MSA 68,100 700 0 0.0 Amarillo MSA 122,400 600 2,300 1.9 Austin-Round Rock MSA 1,015,100-3,600 27,400 2.8 Beaumont-Port Arthur MSA 162,700-1,000-2,200-1.3 Brownsville-Harlingen MSA 142,300-800 1,800 1.3 College Station-Bryan MSA 116,200-2,800 3,400 3.0 Corpus Christi MSA 191,700 600 100 0.1 Dallas-FW-Arlington MSA 3,591,300-7,600 118,000 3.4 Dallas-Plano-Irving MD 2,561,900-4,600 90,600 3.7 Fort Worth-Arlington MD 1,028,400-1,700 26,000 2.6 El Paso MSA 316,400 1,800 10,200 3.3 Houston MSA 3,023,000 5,200 21,900 0.7 Killeen-Temple MSA 146,900 500 4,300 3.0 Laredo MSA 103,500-300 2,000 2.0 Longview MSA 96,100-400 -2,000-2.0 Lubbock MSA 147,600 700 3,600 2.5 McAllen MSA 256,200 1,900 5,700 2.3 Midland MSA 88,100 700-800 -0.9 Odessa MSA 70,200 400-1,000-1.4 San Angelo MSA 48,500-100 -900-1.8 San Antonio MSA 1,029,400-1,700 21,300 2.1 Sherman-Denison MSA 47,000 200 1,000 2.2 Texarkana MSA 60,500 600-500 -0.8 Tyler MSA 106,300 100 2,900 2.8 Victoria MSA 41,900-300 -900-2.1 Waco MSA 120,700 1,000 2,800 2.4 Wichita Falls MSA 57,200-200 -700-1.2 Highlights (MSA industry data are not seasonally adjusted) Fourteen of the 26 metro areas experienced positive over-the-month growth, while twelve areas suffered net job losses. Seventeen metro areas expanded over the year. Employment for all areas combined grew by 54,000 jobs over the month, which was down from a gain of 73,000 jobs in ruary 2016 (Not Seasonally Adjusted). In percentage terms, the Abilene and Texarkana MSAs led all areas over the month with a 1.0 percent increase. The Dallas-Plano Irving area led all areas with a 3.7 percent annual growth rate. Professional and Business Services led all industries in the area with 22,000 positions added over the year, followed by Trade, Transportation, and Utilities with a gain of 19,100 jobs. The largest annual decrease by volume occurred in the Beaumont-Port Arthur MSA with a loss of 2,200 jobs. Area Trade, Transportation, and Utilities jobs were down by 1,500, followed by a reduction of 600 jobs in Manufacturing. Fastest Growing Metro Areas Over the Year 4.0% 3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.0% Labor Market and Career Information 3
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS Fastest Growing Metro Areas Over-the-Year (Not Seasonally Adjusted) Area Industry Composition Area Industry Composition Area Industry Composition Dallas-Plano-Irving MD Industry Annual Annual % 100% Total Nonagricultural 91,500 3.7 5.4% Mining, Logging & Construction 7,100 5.4 6.8% Manufacturing 300 0.2 20.1% Trade, Transportation & Utilities 19,100 3.9 2.8% Information 1,600 2.3 9.0% Financial Activities 9,100 4.1 18.9% Professional & Business Services 22,000 4.8 12.0% Education & Health Services 8,500 2.9 10.1% Leisure & Hospitality 14,800 6.1 3.3% Other Services 4,000 5.0 11.6% Government 5,000 1.7 El Paso MSA Industry Annual Annual % 100% Total Nonagricultural 10,100 3.3 4.8% Mining, Logging & Construction 500 3.4 5.4% Manufacturing 100 0.6 21.4% Trade, Transportation & Utilities 2,100 3.2 1.5% Information -200-4.0 4.2% Financial Activities 800 6.3 11.4% Professional & Business Services 2,600 7.8 14.2% Education & Health Services 1,600 3.7 10.8% Leisure & Hospitality 800 2.4 3.1% Other Services 100 1.0 23.1% Government 1,700 2.4 Killeen-Temple MSA Industry Annual Annual % 100% Total Nonagricultural 4,600 3.2 7.1% Mining, Logging & Construction 1,400 15.6 5.2% Manufacturing 300 4.1 19.0% Trade, Transportation & Utilities 800 3.0 0.8% Information -400-26.7 4.7% Financial Activities -200-2.8 7.0% Professional & Business Services 400 4.0 16.4% Education & Health Services 1,300 5.7 9.8% Leisure & Hospitality 100 0.7 3.6% Other Services 200 3.9 26.5% Government 700 1.8 Download CES excel data sheets (include industry-level data) Labor Market and Career Information 4
LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS Texas ruary Texas & the U.S. (Seasonally Adjusted) Employed 12,799,100 Unemployed 660,600 4.9% Date CLF Employment Unemployment Rate ruary 13,459,700 12,799,100 660,600 4.9 uary 13,400,300 12,757,800 642,500 4.8 ruary 2016 13,186,800 12,585,500 601,300 4.6 U.S. ruary Employed 152,528,000 Unemployed 7,528,000 4.7% Date CLF Employment Unemployment Rate ruary 160,056,000 152,528,000 7,528,000 4.7 uary 159,716,000 152,081,000 7,635,000 4.8 ruary 2016 158,888,000 151,043,000 7,845,000 4.9 Highlights Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in ruary, up from a level of 4.8 percent in uary. The U.S. rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.7 percent. The state s labor force participation rate increased to a seasonally adjusted 63.8 percent. Texas seasonally adjusted LAUS employment was up 41,300 from last month. ruary was the 95th consecutive monthly LAUS employment increase. Summarizing the not seasonally adjusted estimates, the Texas unemployment rate increased by two-tenths of a percentage point to 5.1 percent from uary to ruary. This was also seven-tenths of a percentage point higher than the unemployment rate in ruary 2016. Over the previous five years, the ruary unemployment rate has decreased by an average of two-tenths of a percentage point over-the-month. 10 Largest States' Unemployment Rates New York Texas Pennsylvania Florida California Ohio North Carolina Michigan Georgia Illinois OTM Increase OTM Decline Current Rate 3.0% 3.5% 4.0% 4.5% 5.0% 5.5% 6.0% Labor Market and Career Information 5
LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS Substate Areas (Not Seasonally Adjusted) County Highlights County Unemployment Rates Unemployment rates varied considerably across counties, ranging from a low of 2.4 percent in McMullen County to a high of 15.5 percent in Starr County. Four counties had an unemployment rate of 3.0 percent or below. The largest over-the-year decrease in the un- employment rate was 2.6 percent in Crockett County. Over the year, employment increased in 97 counties and the civilian labor force increased in 112 counties. In ruary, 218 of 254 counties experienced 3.9% and below 4.0% to 4.9% 5.0% to 5.9% 6.0% to 6.9% 7.0% and above an over-the-year increase in the number of unemployed, while 221 counties experienced an over-the-year increase in the unemployment rate. Texas Metro Areas Ranked by Unemployment Rate Rank 1 2 2 4 5 5 5 8 9 9 11 11 13 14 Area Amarillo Lubbock Austin-Round Rock College Station-Bryan San Antonio-New Braunfels Sherman-Denison Midland Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Abilene Waco Wichita Falls San Angelo Tyler Killeen-Temple Rate Rank Area Rate 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.6 4.6 4.8 4.9 15 15 17 18 19 19 21 22 23 24 25 United States Texas Laredo Texarkana El Paso Odessa Victoria Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Longview Corpus Christi Beaumont-Port Arthur Brownsville-Harlingen McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.6 6.8 8.1 8.2 8.8 Metro Area Highlights The Odessa and Midland were the only MSAs in Texas that did not experience an over-the-year increase in the unemployment rate this month. Over the year, the civilian labor force increased in 18 of the 25 MSAs in Texas. LAUS employment also increased in 17 MSAs. Labor Market and Career Information 6
CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY 12-Month Moving Average Unemployment Rates Texas Unemployment Rates by Demographic Gender (age 16+) 2016 Female 4.4% 4.3% 4.2% Male 5.0% 4.9% 4.5% Race & Ethnicity (age 16+) 2016 White 4.3% 4.2% 4.1% Black 7.3% 7.1% 6.9% Hispanic 5.1% 4.9% 4.9% Other Categories (age 18+) 2016 People with a Disability 7.4% 7.8% 9.7% Veterans 3.8% 3.7% 4.2% Highlights The unemployment rate for females edged up 0.2 percentage points over-the-year to 4.4 percent, while it increased 0.5 percentage points to 5.0 percent for males. The unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points over-the-year for Whites and Hispanics to 4.3 and 5.1 percent respectively. The unemployment rate for Blacks increased to a level of 7.3 percent. The unemployment rate for people with a disability had a significant over-the-year decrease of 2.3 percent. Although the unemployment rate for veterans increased slightly over-the-month to 3.8 percent, it is still down 0.4 percentage points overthe-year at 3.8 percent. Individuals with some College education or higher continue to have a lower unemployment rate than those with a High School Diploma or less. Age 2016 16-19 14.7% 15.2% 14.3% 20-24 8.5% 8.3% 8.0% 25-34 5.2% 4.8% 4.5% 35-44 3.4% 3.2% 3.3% 45-54 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 55-64 3.3% 3.4% 2.9% 65+ 4.1% 4.0% 3.5% Education (age 25+) 2016 Less than High School 5.6% 5.3% 4.4% High School Diploma 5.0% 4.8% 5.0% Some College or Associate Degree 3.4% 3.4% 3.5% Bachelor's Degree or Higher 2.9% 2.8% 2.3% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% Unemployment Rates by Age Age 16 19 Age 20 24 Age 25 34 Age 35 44 Age 45 54 Age 55 64 Age 65+ Previous Year Previous Month Unemployment Rates by Education Less than HS HS Diploma Some College or Associate Degree Previous Year Previous Month Bachelor's Degree or Higher Download all LAUS excel data sheets. Labor Market and Career Information 7
HELP WANTED ONLINE Statewide Online Job Postings Data (Seasonally Adjusted) Texas Labor Supply vs. Labor Demand # OF UNEMPLOYED (THOUSANDS) 1,100 1,000 900 800 700 600 500 400 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 # OF ADS (THOUSANDS) Unemployment HWOL Highlights Online advertised vacancies decreased by 27,079 to 299,619 in ruary, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine (HWOL) Data Series. The ruary Supply/Demand rate stands at 2.2 unemployed for each advertised vacancy with a total of 360,987 more unemployed workers than the number of advertised vacancies. Employer Top Employers by Postings HCA - The Healthcare Company 2,925 2,763 West Suburban Medical Center 2,525 2,337 Robert Half International 2,472 2,136 Scott & White 2,289 2,226 Aramark Corporation 2,178 1,900 Army 1,868 1,607 ACCENTURE 1,764 1,474 The University of Texas System 1,602 1,679 Christus Health 1,575 967 Deloitte 1,474 1,401 Occupation Top Occupations by Postings Registered Nurses 16,054 15,936 Heavy Truck Drivers 10,054 8,995 Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 7,873 7,149 Retail Salespersons 6,602 6,074 Software Developers, Applications 5,894 5,077 Customer Service Representatives 5,366 5,241 Supervisors of Office & Admin Workers 5,322 4,611 Computer User Support Specialists 5,070 4,352 General Maintenance Workers 4,844 4,271 Network/Comp Systems Administrat. 4,622 4,250 Labor Market and Career Information 8
EMPLOYMENT NEWS Media Update Job Gains Amazon to Double Regional Operations Hub Dallas Business Journal DALLAS, TX Online retail giant Amazon.com Inc. has decided to double its North Texas operations hub at the Galleria Towers in Dallas. The Seattle-based retailer has signed a lease for five floors, which will basically double the regional office in North Dallas. In uary, Amazon.com announced it planned to open its third 1-million-square-foot fulfilment center in Coppell that will employ 1,000 workers. The company also has two other Coppell facilities and massive distribution operations in Haslet, Dallas, Fort Worth and Schertz. New Refinery Planned in Permian Basin San Antonio Business Journal PECOS COUNTY, TX As demand for gasoline and other refined products continues to grow in Mexico, another company plans to build a new refinery near the border. MMEX Resources Corp announced plans to build a $450 million refinery in the Permian Basin s Pecos County. If approved by regulators, the 18-month construction process will create around 400 jobs while the completed refinery is expected to employ around 100 people. If approved, the proposed refinery will be able to process crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas that will be shipped by rail to meet growing demand in Mexico. MMEX Resources Corp CEO Jack Hanks said the Pecos County Refinery will take full advantage of large oil discoveries in the Permian Basin, which has become the hottest shale play in the United States. Job Losses Massive Layoffs Planned for Detention Center San Angelo Standard Times EDEN, TX (San Angelo Standard Times) Four hundred and seventy employees at the Eden Detention Center have been notified of impending layoffs, the Texas Workforce Commission confirmed. The employees last day will be April 30. The Eden Detention Center sits on the eastern edge of Eden, about 45 miles east of San Angelo. It pays the city about $40,000 per month for water and sewer services, officials said. The U.S. Department of Justice last year announced that it would phase out private management of federal prisons. Community leaders at the time noted that the facility plays an important economic role in the community. About 1,250 people live in the city. The Federal Bureau of Prisons website lists 1,370 prisoners at the detention center. Whole Foods Market Closing Kitchen Facility Austin Patch AUSTIN, TX (Austin Patch) Whole Foods Market alerted the Texas Workforce Commission through a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act that a layoff affecting more than 90 workers will occur next month. The closing of a catering kitchen in east Austin on April 30 is expected to cause 93 layoffs. A company official indicated that the displaced workers would be relocated to other Whole Foods stores in the Austin area. The location is being closed and operations will be moved to other locations within the Austin/San Antonio area, Eva Clark, executive coordinator of teams member services for Whole Foods wrote in the letter received by Texas Workforce Commission earlier this month. Labor Market and Career Information 9
KEY INDICATORS Total Nonag Annual Employment Growth (Seasonally Adjusted) Unemployment Rates (Seasonally Adjusted) 5.0% 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% Current Month: Texas: 1.9% US: 1.6% 12.0% 10.0% 8.0% 6.0% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% Current Month: Texas: 4.9% US: 4.7% Series2 Series4 Source: TWC/Bureau of Labor Statistics Texas U.S. Source: TWC/Bureau of Labor Statistics Initial and Continued Claims (3-Month Moving Average) West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil vs.texas Rig Count 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 Current Month: Initial Claims: 71,113 Continued Claims: 723,674 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 $160 $140 $120 $100 $80 $60 $40 $20 $0 Current Month: WTI: $53.47 Texas Rig Count: 370 1,000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Series1 Source: TWC Series2 WTI Texas Rig Counts Source: US Energy Information Administration (EIA) & Baker Hughes Consumer Price Index (Not Seasonally Adjusted) Texas Existing Home Sales (Not Seasonally Adjusted) Current Month: Dallas-Fort Worth: 2.7% Houston-Galveston: 2.1% Current Month: Units: 20,853 Price: $212,650 8% 35,000 $240,000 6% 4% 2% 0% 2% 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 $220,000 $200,000 $180,000 $160,000 $140,000 4% 10,000 $120,000 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Sales Median Price Source: The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University Download Key Indicators data in excel. Labor Market and Career Information 10
GLOSSARY CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS This Federal/State cooperative program produces estimates drawn from a monthly survey of nonfarm business establishments used to collect wage and salary employment, worker hours and payroll by industry and area. It counts the number of jobs, not of people. Nonagricultural Jobs - The total number of persons on establishment payrolls employed full or part time. Persons on the payroll of more than one establishment are counted in each establishment. Data exclude proprietors, self-employed, unpaid family or volunteer workers, farm workers, and domestic workers. Government employment only covers civilian employees. Actual or Not Seasonally Adjusted - Describes the data series not subject to the seasonal adjustment process. In other words, the effects of regular, or seasonal, patterns have not been removed from these series. Seasonally Adjusted - The effects of regular, or seasonal, patterns of hiring or layoffs (holidays, weather, etc.) have been removed from these series. These adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical and other non-seasonal movements in a data series. LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS This Federal/State cooperative program produces employment and unemployment estimates by place of residence. Employed - All persons 16 years and over who, during the reference week, (a) did any work at all (at least 1 hour) as paid employees, worked on their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid family workers, or (b) were not working but who had jobs from which they were temporarily absent. Each employed person is counted only once, even if the person holds more than one job. Unemployed - All persons aged 16 years and over who had no employment, were available for work, and had made specific efforts to find employment. Includes persons who were waiting to be recalled to jobs from which they had been laid off. Civilian Labor Force (CLF) - All persons classified as employed or unemployed. Unemployment Rate - The unemployed number divided by the civilian labor force number. HELP WANTED ONLINE The Conference Board's data series provides monthly measures of labor demand (advertised vacancies) at the national, regional, state, and metropolitan area levels. Supply-Demand rate - A ratio measuring the number of unemployed persons per Help Wanted Online job opening. INDICATORS Initial Claims - A count of notices of unemployment received requesting a determination of eligibility for UI benefits. A person can file multiple claims. Continued Claims - A count of claimants who have qualified for and are receiving UI benefits. Consumer Price Index - An index of the variation in prices paid by typical consumers for retail goods and other items. MISCELLANEOUS Metropolitan Division (MD) - A Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 2.5 million which is subdivided into smaller groupings is referred to as Metropolitan Divisions (MDs). Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) - A geographic area that contains at least one urbanized center of 50,000 or more population plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core urban location. An MSA in Texas is made up of one or more counties. Metro Area - Can refer either to a Metropolitan Statisical Area or a Metropolitan Division. Texas has 25 MSAs, including the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA which is subdivided into two MDs. Workforce Development Area (WDA) - The State of Texas is divided into twenty-eight (28) local workforce development areas. Labor Market and Career Information 11
LMCI Director: Doyle Fuchs Editor: Mariana Vega Layout and Design: Fatima-Zahra Pendleton TLMR Contributors: Phil Arnold, Gabriel Guzman, Robert Luttner, Fatima-Zahra Pendleton, Andrew Sak, and Matthew Weber. Another quality product from Texas Workforce Commission Labor Market and Career Information 101 East 15th Street, Room 0252 Austin, Texas 78778-0001 1-866-938-4444 (512) 936-3278 FAX: (512) 936-3208 www.lmci.state.tx.us Equal Opportunity Employer/Program Relay Texas: 800-735-2989 (TTY) and 711 (Voice) http://www.texasworkforce.org