January 25, 2022
Summary
Texas added 50,000 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage point to 5 percent in December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released at 10:00am on January 25, 2022.
Over the past twelve months, Texas added 694,400 payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 1.9 percentage points from 6.9 percent.
In December, Texas’s private sector added 48,700 net private payroll jobs and over the past twelve months it added 671,100 private payroll jobs in the establishment survey.
In the household survey, the number of unemployed fell by 29,326 on net in December, and over the past year employment rose by 423,836.
Texas’s labor force participation rate rose to 62.7 percent in December from 62.6 percent. Since last year, the labor force participation rate fell by 0.3 percentage point.
The national unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage point in December to 3.9 percent. State employment and unemployment data for January is scheduled for release March 14, 2022. The national employment situation report for January will be released February 04, 2022.
Texas Payroll Employment
Texas added 50,000 net payroll jobs, or 0.4 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during December. In the prior month, Texas added 86,500 jobs. Over the past twelve months, Texas added 694,400 payroll jobs, or 5.6 percent. Texas nonfarm payroll employment had increased in 11 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 199,000 in December, or rose by 0.1 percent. Over the 12-month period ending with December, nonfarm payrolls rose by 6,448,000 jobs, or 4.5 percent. Texas is tied for 11th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
During December, Texas’s private-sector added 48,700 jobs, or approximately 0.4 percent. The private-sector in Texas added 83,200 jobs in the prior month. Over the past twelve months, private-sector payrolls in Texas added 671,100, or 6.5 percent. Texas private-sector payroll employment has increased in 11 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private-sector payroll jobs rose by 211,000 jobs in December, or 0.2 percent. Over the past 12 months, the national payroll rose by 5,996,000 jobs in the private sector, or 5 percent. Texas ranks 8th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for a percentage gain in private-sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.
The best performing sectors on a seasonally adjusted basis during December were Construction (10,400) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (7,300). The poorest performing sectors during the month were Other Services (1,100) and Education and Health Services (-1,700).
The best performing sectors during the last twelve months were Professional and Business Services (173,200) and Leisure and Hospitality (132,400). The poorest performing sectors during the last twelve months were Government (23,300) and Information (11,100).
Texas Labor Force Statistics
Labor Force Participation
The labor force participation rate in Texas rose to 62.7 percent in December from 62.6 percent in the prior month. At a labor force participation rate of 62.7 percent, Texas ranks 23rd in the nation. The labor force participation rate in Texas fell by 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Texas was 65.7 percent in December 2011. The series high for the labor force participation rate in Texas last occurred in October 1995 when the labor force participation rate hit 69.4 percent. The 10-year low for the labor force participation rate was 60.2 percent in April 2020. This also represents the series low for the labor force participation rate in Texas.
The national labor force participation rate remained steady at 61.9 percent in December. That rate rose by 0.4 percentage point from a year earlier. The all-time high for the national labor force participation rate was 67.3 percent in April 2000. The 10-year high for the national labor force participation rate was 63.8 percent in October 2012. The recent 10-year low occurred in April 2020 at a level of 60.2 percent. The series low for the national labor force participation rate was 58.1 percent in December 1954.
Employment-to-Population Ratio
The employment-to-population ratio, or the percentage of the Texas civilian noninstitutionalized population 16 years and older counted as employed, in December rose to 59.6 from 59.4 percent in the prior month. At 59.6 percent, Texas ranks 28th among state employment-to-population ratios in the nation. The employment-to-population ratio in Texas rose by 1 percentage point from a year earlier.
The 10-year high for the employment-to-population ratio in Texas was 61.9 percent last occurring in December 2019. The series high for the employment-to-population ratio in Texas last occurred in November 1998 when the employment-to-population ratio hit 65.8 percent. The 10-year low for the employment-to-population ratio was 52.4 percent in April 2020. This also represents the series low for the employment-to-population ratio in Texas.
The national employment-to-population ratio rose by 0.2 percentage point over the month to 59.5 percent in December. That rate rose by 2.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The all-time high for the national employment-to-population rato was 64.7 percent in April 2000. The 10-year high for the national employment-to-population ratio was 61.2 percent in February 2020. The recent 10-year low occurred in April 2020 at a level of 51.3 percent. The series low for the employment-to-population ratio was 51.3 percent in April 2020.