Understanding Houston's Record-Breaking Job Numbers

Greater Houston added 43,200 jobs in October, according to Workforce Solutions. That is more than any single month on record.

But don't go calling it a boom.

The number comes just a month after the area lost 16,000 jobs in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Patrick Jankowski, a regional economist with the Greater Houston Partnership, said Houston's job numbers are a bounce back after the storm, not a sign of boom times returning.

"We are where we should have been had we not had the hurricane,” Jankowski said.

The record-setting growth reflects the after-effects of Hurricane Harvey plus an expected post-summer improvement, not a surge in economic activity, the Greater Houston Partnership said in its most recent report. 

July lost 19,500 jobs, primarily in local school districts as educators rolled off school payrolls in the summer months. August’s and September’s cuts, 12,100 and 11,200, respectively, occurred primarily in food services and drinking places, retail and construction, as Houstonians stayed home during Hurricane Harvey and construction workers stayed off the job site.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Houston Newsletters
Related Stories

Oncology Company Expands Footprint At Hines' Life Sciences Campus

Astrodome Conservancy Solicits Redevelopment Ideas

Sugar Land Town Square Secures Fortune 500 Lease: The Houston Deal Sheet

Houston CRE Firms Turn To Contractors As They Look To Scale

The Revitalization Of Sugar Creek On The Lake, A Premier Waterfront Property In Greater Houston

City Block Sold For New Houston Center Parking Garage

Texas Pauses Data Center Power Connections, Which Could Speed Up Rapid Development

Houston's Generation Park Lands Another $2.3B Pharma Manufacturing Investment

Developer To Replace Coworking Space With Industrial: The Houston Deal Sheet

SpaceX, Tesla To Spend $16.8B Building First Phase Of 100M SF Chip Factory

Landlords Are Pushing Rents In Houston's Split Office Market

Keith Oden To Retire From Executive Position At Camden Property Trust