Texas added 32,800 jobs in December, according to seasonally adjusted and benchmarked payroll employment numbers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
The state added a revised 81,200 jobs in November. Annual job growth for 2021 stands at 5.1 percent compared with an annual change of -4.5 percent in 2020. In December 2021, jobs were 0.1 percent below the prepandemic level in February 2020.
Unemployment rates declined across all metro areas in the state, according to seasonally adjusted numbers from the Dallas Fed. Of the five largest metro areas, Austin had the lowest rate at 3.3 percent while Houston had the highest rate at 5.4 percent.
The Dallas Fed will release its 2022 Texas Employment Forecast during its 15th annual Texas Economic Outlook event at 11 a.m. Central time on Feb. 3. During the event, vice president and senior economist Pia Orrenius will release the Dallas Fed’s forecast for Texas employment growth for the year and share details on the factors likely to influence the Texas economy in 2022.
