Non-robust job numbers in Texas

As goes the country, so goes the state.

The Houston area is showing signs of a slowdown after coming off some fairly strong job gains during the winter months.

“It’s very consistent with the national pattern,” said Barton Smith, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Houston, who pointed to the data released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission that showed Houston area employers added just 45,000 jobs during the past 12 months, a gain of 1.8 percent.

Since January, when area employers put on 56,600 jobs, a 2.3 percent gain, they have been easing back on their hiring.

The slowdown is relatively modest, Smith said. But it’s becoming increasingly clear hiring isn’t as robust as it was just a few months ago.

There’s another factor in play as well.

Austin-area employers added 13,700 jobs in the 12 months that ended in May, a 1.8 percent annual gain, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.

But the region’s largest job sector, government — which includes local school districts and higher education — lost 600 jobs, a 0.3 percent decline. That was the first sign of local and state budget cuts that are expected to grow over the summer, as the full impact of teacher and state agency layoffs is felt.

That sector accounts for 22 percent of the 785,300 jobs in Central Texas.

The cutbacks were even deeper in other large Texas cities.

The Dallas area lost 3,200 government jobs last month, a 1.2 percent drop. Houston was down 7,300 jobs, or 1.9 percent, and San Antonio was down 2,400 jobs, or 1.4 percent.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Remember, the Legislative Budget Board forecast large numbers of jobs lost as a result of the penurious spending cuts. That was based on the initial House budget, which was a lot harsher than what is now in the pipeline, but it’s still going to result in a lot of layoffs. Maybe as Rick Perry continues his Ego Across America tour, someone in the national media should ask him about that.

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