Local job market continues to heat up

Conroe ISD held a job fair at College Park High School, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in The Woodlands. Conroe ISD held a job fair at College Park High School, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in The Woodlands. Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Local job market continues to heat up 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

The job market in The Woodlands and Montgomery County continues to heat up, fueled by the ongoing expansion of some of its largest employers, and just as the busy holiday hiring season arrives.

Figures from the Texas Workforce Commission show the unemployment rate for the county declined to 3.5 percent in October, a decline from the 4.1 percent county unemployment rate posted in September. The lower rate continues a string of improved monthly numbers.

The improvement in October comes as employers based in The Woodlands expand their payrolls, as new businesses move into the county and around the same time as retailers hire people to work in their stores. And, the local expansions are taking place while the entire state enjoys a hiring boom.

STATEWIDE UNEMPLOYMENT LOWEST IN 40 YEARS

Officials with the workforce commission say the Texas economy added 71,500 seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs in October, dropping the statewide unemployment rate to 3.9 percent. That's 90 consecutive months of annual growth for the state and sets the record for the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Texas in four decades.

"Texas has recently experienced some of its most serious economic challenges, but despite these obstacles, our economy is booming," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement posted on the governor's web site. "This resiliency is a testament to the diversity of our economy and the strength of our workforce. As governor, I will continue to promote policies that allow businesses to thrive and keep Texas the best state in the nation to do business."

In The Woodlands and nearby areas, the region continues to rebound from Hurricane Harvey, while also enjoying the economic benefits of expanding payrolls of major employers. The Conroe Independent School District, which according to The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership is the largest employer in the township, and other organizations continue to help keeping the local employment picture shining bright.

With some 7,600 employees across its entire district, Conroe ISD hired nearly 700 new employees, including teachers and paraprofessionals for its current school year. Of those hires, 125 were to fill new positions that were added this year, according to spokeswoman Sarah Blakelock. And next year the district is planning job fairs in April and June to hire more people.

HEALTH CARE HELPING TO BOOST THE WOODLANDS ECONOMY

Also giving a boost to the local economy is the health care industry.

"Health care is certainly a growing sector," said Laura Lee Palmer, vice president of business retention and expansion for the economic development partnership. "We've had some new hospitals open and continue to grow employment in the area."

Indeed, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center is the third largest employer in The Woodlands, while CHI St. Luke's Health The Woodlands Hospital is listed by the development partnership as sixth.

Officials at Memorial Hermann, while not providing specific hiring numbers, say hiring plans at the facility will "align" with the center's growth plans.

"In general, we will continue to hire clinical positions in the categories of nursing, respiratory therapy, radiology and pharmacy, to name a few," said Connie Heard, Memorial Hermann senior human resources business partner. "There are non-clinical positions that are priorities as well, such as administrative support, finance and security."

REGION RECOVERS RAPIDLY FROM HARVEY

Meanwhile, the region seems to be recovering especially well from the impacts from Hurricane Harvey with state figures showing the leisure and hospitality industry added nearly 35,000 jobs throughout Texas in October. The rebound comes after the industry experienced its largest monthly decline in September as some establishments were forced to shut down because of Harvey.

Statewide, employment in trade, transportation and utilities also grew, adding 10,000 jobs across the state during the month, with more jobs coming to the region. In Conroe a new FedEx facility being built in the city's Conroe Park North Industrial Park is expected to produce about 100 full-time jobs, while other companies building facilities in the park are also in the process of, or will be hiring scores more.

And the holiday season is also helping to keep the job market hot, with retailers looking for help to work in their stores.

"We do see an annual influx [of jobs] in retail for the Christmas and the holiday season," Palmer notes.