May was another solid month for the Texas job market, with the state posting by far the largest gain across the nation (+74,200), well above California (+42,900) and New York (+26,800). Texas was also near the top in percentage increase, an unusual feat for such a large state.
Over the past year, Texas has added 762,400 jobs, and employment is now about 400,000 higher than prior to the pandemic (the US remains about 900,000 behind the previous peak). Not every state is as fortunate, and some continue to shed jobs. In May, employment decreased in Michigan (-14,600), Alaska (-4,400), and Wyoming (-2,800).
Other good news in the Texas jobs numbers is that the gains were spread across both goods-producing and services industries. Particularly strong growth occurred in leisure and hospitality, business and professional services, and construction. Thousands of manufacturing jobs were also added.
