Texas beats national annual job growth rate | News

AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated Texas adding more jobs than the rest of the country over the past 12 months after releasing July employment data. Texas also set new records for the number of working Texans and the size of the Texas workforce.

“Our skilled and growing workforce is a magnet for innovative companies and entrepreneurs looking to expand and succeed,” said Governor Abbott. “As a result, Texas employers have added jobs faster than the rest of the country over the past 12 months, and more Texans are working than ever before. The diversity of industries growing in our great state is a testament to the resilience of Texas businesses and the best business climate in America. With increasing investments in education, innovation and job training, we continue to build a bigger, better Texas for everyone.”

July employment data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Workforce Commission show:

Texas has reached the largest workforce in state history with 15,353,700 employees after growing by 248,900 people over the past 12 months.

In Texas, a new high was reached for the number of employed Texans, with 14,731,400 residents (including self-employed people).

From July 2023 to July 2024, Texas added 265,500 nonfarm jobs, outpacing the annual growth rate of the country as a whole.

The unemployment rate in Texas was 4.1 percent in July, 0.2 percentage points below the national rate.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, there are more than half a million job openings in the state. Job seekers can find information about the openings at WorkInTexas.com.

Governor Abbott also recently spoke at a Portland Chamber of Commerce fireside chat about the unique business opportunities that continue to attract companies to Texas.