Gulf Coast Workforce Highlights

Detailed Information for Health Care and Social Assistance, NAICS 62

The rate of unemployment in The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA rose two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.6 percent in February. A rise in the rate of unemployment during the month of February has only been seen twice since 1990, once last year and back in 2009 during The Great Recession. 

Total Nonfarm Employment in the H-W-S MSA was up 24,600 jobs in February. The 0.7 percent increase was about the same as the pre-pandemic historical average increase of 0.8 percent with each industry reporting changes not far off from historical averages. Job gains were found across most industry sectors apart from Retail Trade where establishments continued to trim payrolls following the holiday season. Largest increases were found in: 

• Government, up 7,000 jobs or 1.5 percent
• Professional and Business Services, up 5,400 jobs or 1.0 percent.
• Construction, up 4,500 jobs or 2.0 percent
• Private Education and Health Services, up 4,300 jobs or 0.9 percent
• Leisure and Hospitality, up 3,900 jobs or 1.1 percent

Total Nonfarm Employment in the H-W-S MSA was up 79,800 jobs over the year in February. The pace of job growth fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 2.4 percent, nearly three full percentage points from 5.1 percent a year earlier. The pace of growth in the Houston MSA continues to be stronger than the nations but the gap has narrowed considerably from what it was a year earlier. 

Nine of the eleven industry super sectors were reporting over-the-year increases. The top contributors to the increase were: 

• Private Education and Health Services, up 23,400 jobs or 5.3 percent
• Government, up 19,600 or 4.4 percent
• Professional and Business Services, up 8,800 jobs or 1.6 percent
• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities, up 8,000 jobs or 1.2 percent
• Wholesale Trade, up 3,300 jobs or 1.9 percent
• Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities, up 4,700 jobs or 2.5 percent
• Retail Trade, unchanged

The only losses were found in Mining and Logging, down 500 jobs or 0.7 percent, and Information, down 800 jobs or 2.4 percent. 

Health Care and Social Assistance added 3,200 jobs in February, up 0.8 percent. Ambulatory Health Care Services added 1,300 jobs and Hospitals added 700 jobs with the remainder of the increase in undisclosed segments of Health Care and Social Assistance. Health Care and Social Assistance added 22,300 jobs over the year, up 6.0 percent from February 2023. Ambulatory Health Care Services, up 10,100 jobs or 5.4 percent, and Hospitals, up 6,600 jobs or 7.2 percent, accounted for more than half the increase. The remainder of the increase was in undefined areas other than health care.

Monthly estimate data does not reveal the most detailed information, but it is the timeliest. Nevertheless, sub-sectors can be reviewed in more detail by using employers' payroll records. The payroll record data below is reported at the 13-county Gulf Coast region level and includes public and private employment.

There are four sub-sectors within Health Care and Social Assistance: Ambulatory Health Care Services; Hospitals; Nursing and Residential Care Facilities; and Social Assistance. All sub-four sectors reported over-the-year increases. The largest increase was in Ambulatory Health Care Services, up 10,126 jobs or 5.6 percent, with healthy increases found in all subsectors except for Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories where employment was affected by declining demand due to the pandemic. Hospitals experienced the second largest increase of 6,923 jobs, up 5.4 percent. The strongest increase was in Social Assistance, up 4,063 jobs or 7.4 percent with the bulk of the increase at Child Day Care Services to support the rise in the number of individuals returning to work after the pandemic.  Nursing Care and Residential Care Facilities also managed healthy increase of 1,913 jobs, up 5.7 percent.

Monthly data is not available at the thirteen county Gulf Coast Region level and is only provided for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The MSA has nine counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller. 

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