The Texas Workforce Commission has released the latest figures for May employment across the state. Texas added 74,200 total jobs for the month, which now also marks the seventh consecutive month the state set new employment highs. Texas has added a total of 762,400 positions since May 2021.
The seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from April 2022.
“Texas continues to set records for employment growth with more than 250,000 jobs added from the beginning of this year through May,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “Training and upskilling are crucial to maintain this level of employment growth, and TWC remains committed to offering innovative training programs.”
Leisure and Hospitality gained 27,600 jobs over the month. Professional and Business Services added 15,300 positions, followed by Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment which grew by 11,700 jobs. Three major industries surpassed their pre-COVID employment levels for the first time in May 2022 — Construction, Manufacturing, and Leisure and Hospitality. This brought the total to eight industries that have recovered from the pandemic-related downturn, joining Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, Information, Financial Activities, Professional and Business Services, and Education and Health Services.
The Amarillo and Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Areas recorded May’s lowest unemployment rates among Texas MSAs with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 2.7 percent, followed by College Station-Bryan at 2.9 percent, then Lubbock at 3.0 percent.
