Showing posts with label Job Growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job Growth. Show all posts

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Austin's Secrets For Economic Success

From Forbes, May 12, 2009...

Few places have received more accolades in recent years than Austin, the city that ranked first on our list of the best big cities for jobs. Understanding what makes this attractive, fast-growing city tick can tell us much about what urban growth will look like in the coming decades.

Austin's success is not surprising since, in many ways, it starts on third base. Two of its greatest assets result from the luck of the draw; it's both a state capital and home to a major research university.

Our ranking of the best cities for job growth includes many college towns--from Fargo, N.D., (home to North Dakota State) to Athens, Ga., (University of Georgia), Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., (Duke and University of North Carolina) and College Station, Texas (Texas A&M).

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Forbes ranks Austin No. 8 on best places for biz list

From Austin Business Journal, March 27, 2009...

Forbes.com ranks Austin the 8th best place for business and careers in its latest list.

Texas' Capital City rose significantly from 47th on last year's list. Austin was behind cities such as No. 1 Raleigh, N.C. and No. 4 Fayetteville, Ark. The list was ranked according to factors such as cost of doing business and projected employment growth.

Forbes.com cited Austin's projected annual job growth rate of 2.3 percent--the fifth fastest in the country, and its relatively low subprime mortgage exposure.

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Monday, January 26, 2009

Austin loses 1,800 jobs after adding 9,600 in the past 12 months

From Impact News, January 23, 2009...

The Austin-Round Rock MSA* lost jobs for the first time since July 2008 in December, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Unemployment for the area increased slightly to 5.2 percent.

The sector with the largest decrease in jobs was government, due in large part to the holiday break for state education staff. Government, however, was the largest and fastest-growing sector for the region over the last 12 months, with a 4.1 percent annual growth rate and the addition of 6,500 jobs.

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Study shows Austin could shed 2,800 jobs in ‘09

From Austin Business Journal, January 20, 2009...

A report prepared for the U.S. Conference of Mayors forecasts the Austin-Round Rock region will actually shed some 2,800 jobs in 2009, a decline of 0.4 percent.

The report also anticipates that the local unemployment rate will rise from 4.8 percent at the end of 2008 to 6.1 percent at the end of this year.

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Williamson County job growth among nation's best

From Impact News, January 16, 2009...

Williamson County's employment growth rate ranks among the best in the nation, according to reports released Jan. 13 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics [PDF].

The one-year study tracked job growth in more than 300 of the country's largest counties between June 2007 and June 2008. Williamson County saw an increase of 4.3 percent, while more than half of the counties experienced declining rates. The national average was a decrease of 0.3 percent.

Seven of the top ten counties were in Texas, which ranked third in statewide job growth. The state experienced a one-year job increase of 2.2 percent, behind North Dakota and Wyoming.

Weekly wages in Williamson County also increased from $786 to $801, or 1.9 percent.

Percent growth in employment, June 2007 - June 2008

1. Orleans, La., 5.6 percent
2. Williamson, Texas, 4.3 percent
3. Fort Bend, Texas, 4.2 percent
4. Tulare, Calif., 4 percent
5. Montgomery, Texas, 3.8 percent
6. Bell, Texas, 3.6 percent
7. Cass, N.D., 3.5 percent
8. Brazos, Texas, 3.0 percent
9. Denton, Texas, 3.0 percent
10. Harris, Texas, 2.8 percent

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Forecast: Austin will add just 2,100 new jobs in '09

From Austin Business Journal, January 15, 2009...

Austin will only add about 2,100 jobs in the next year—a dramatic decline from the robust employment growth the region experienced in recent years, according to a leading local economist.

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Friday, December 12, 2008

Williamson County among top U.S. counties for job growth

From Round Rock City News...

In March 2008, Williamson County had the fourth largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment among the largest counties in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Austin job market holds up amid national slowdown

From statesman, September 20, 2008...

Austin's job market has slowed, but the region continues to gain jobs while many other parts of the country are losing them.

The Central Texas job growth rate was 2.4 percent in August, meaning the region had 18,100 more jobs than it did a year ago, the Texas Workforce Commission reported. Unemployment was 4.5 percent, up a tenth of a percent from July and up from 3.7 percent a year ago.

The local job market has taken some hits this year, the biggest being Dell Inc.'s decision to close two North Austin plants. The region lost 2,800 manufacturing jobs in the past year, but almost every other sector has grown.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Report: Texas still strong in job creation

From Austin Business Journal, September 3, 2008...

Texas remains a bright spot while more job losses and weak growth continues in the western United States, according to an economic report.

According to the Western Blue Chip Economic Forecasts, Texas recorded the second highest percentage change with 2.4 percent more jobs created in July compared to a year ago. That increase translates to the highest number of actual jobs added in any state at 250,900.

Among Western states, only Wyoming topped that number with a 2.5 percent increase.

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Austin-area job growth at 2.1 percent

From statesman, August 16, 2008...

Austin's job growth was 2.1 percent in July, as the region added 15,800 jobs from a year earlier.

The region's job market has slowed considerably from a year ago, when job growth was running greater than 5 percent, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Almost all of the losses have come from the manufacturing sector. But the loss of those 2,700 jobs in the past year has been offset by gains in construction, financial services, government, and hotels and restaurants.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Economist: Austin will recover faster than the rest of the U.S.

From Austin Business Journal, August 18, 2008...

In the coming year Austin will outperform the rest of the country in job growth and in the health of its housing market, according to Mark Dotzour, chief economist at Texas A&M University's Real Estate Center.

Austin will add 8,500 new jobs between now and August 2009, despite a negative job growth across the country, he says. The local housing market will turn around faster than the rest of the country by next summer, Dotzour predicts.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Austin area gains jobs at 2.7 percent annual rate in April, down from 5.4 percent last year

From statesman.com, May 17, 2008...

The job growth engine that has been keeping the Central Texas economy strong is losing steam.

The region gained jobs at a 2.7 percent annual rate in April, down from 5.4 percent a year ago, the Texas Workforce Commission said today.

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