3-minute read
In this edition: The Austin unemployment rate drops below 5% for the first time since December 2020, and how college graduates entering the workforce may have a better chance now at landing a job.
ICYMI: In light of the Governor’s recent announcement, Workforce Solutions Capital Area (WFS) released a statement with ways we will continue to support local job seekers and businesses.
- Bottom line: As the hub for local employment, WFS will continue to offer our array of services to help local businesses to grow; to help job seekers find employment and train for the jobs of today; and to connect parents to quality child care.
🎙️ “Workforce Solutions serves as the single source for Austin-Travis County job seekers to find work and for business owners to find and retain local talent. If a person needs immediate employment, we assist them with finding jobs by industry, and connect them to career training and supports like childcare and transportation” — Melanie Flowers, WFS board chair and head of technical training at Samsung Austin Semiconductor. Read more.
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1. Austin unemployment rate drops below 5% for 1st time since Dec 2020
The new jobs report released Friday by TWC says the Austin-area unemployment rate dropped nearly 1% from March’s rate of 5.3%.
- The Austin metro unemployment rate for April is at 4.5% or 57,409 jobless residents.
- Texas’ unemployment rate (6.3%) improved, remaining above the national unemployment rate (5.7%).
- The Capital Area/Travis Co unemployment rate fell from 5.3% in March to 4.5%, representing 34,317 jobless residents.
- Of note: Self-employed, independent, gig, and contract workers typically ineligible for regular state unemployment (e.g., PUA claimants) are not counted in these monthly tallies.
Austin metro in April, by the numbers:
- 6,000 jobs were added from March 2021 to April 2021.
- Industries that experienced a significant increase in regional job growth include Professional and Business Services (3,400),Leisure & Hospitality (2,400),Manufacturing (700),Government (300),and Mining, Logging & Construction (200).
- The Austin metro’s improved annual growth rate of 11.9% represents the collective gain of 119,600 jobs since April 2020.
- Twice as many jobs are available than a year ago:
- 30,536 new job ads were posted in the Austin metro in April 2021, according to Burning Glass Labor Insight. That’s 14,102 more than in April 2020.
- Job openings are wide-ranging:
- The Austin metro’s top hiring occupation groups in February were IT (4,403),management (4,167),retail (3,173),office & admin (2,760),and healthcare practitioners & technical (2,263).
- The occupations with the most online ads were software developers (1,508),computer occupations, all other (1,219),sales reps (1,048),managers, all other (891),RNs (849),and retail salespersons (726).
- The top companies hiring were Deloitte (449),IBM (405),Ascension Health (393),Dell (353),and Baylor Scott and White (319).
❗ Bottom line: We are in a strong hiring environment, one with more businesses opening up and more relocating to the Austin metro. However, those that will benefit the most in this environment are those with in-demand skills.
- WFS continues to offer services and supports to assist our neighbors in finding employment or training for the skills needed to provide for families and create value for businesses.
- WFS’ proven training effectiveness: In 2020, 78% of our customers found employment in the field in which they trained.
📅 Our next job fair is the Summer Kick-Off Virtual Hiring Event, held virtually on May 25.
- Chat with child care providers enrolling now and employers hiring immediately for positions at all levels, with a pavilion just for employers at The Domain.
- Of note: We held 6 job fairs in April, attended by 1,050 job seekers and 163 employers.
- See more upcoming job fairs here.
2. More opportunities opening up for Central Texas graduates entering the workforce
Driving the news: Thursday, May 13 marked the start of spring commencement ceremonies for Texas State University. We spoke with KXAN on the job outlook for recent graduates.
The big picture: Graduates entering the workforce may have a better chance now at landing a job post-college, despite a workforce and economy that are in recovery.
Austin MSA entry-level jobs, by the numbers:
- In the 30 days up to the commencement, there were over 5,800 entry-level job opportunities (requiring 0-2 years experience and a 4-year degree or less) posted online. That’s up by nearly 2,300 jobs since this time last year.
- More than 2,000 of those positions do require a bachelor’s degree.
- The job opportunities range in skills and field, from RNs, sales, software developers, human resources specialists, market research analysts, marketing specialists, and manager positions.
What’s next: Those seeking employment can find job openings and virtual hiring events in the Austin area on our website.
