Houston Area Employment Situation (Jobs Report/Data)

Workforce Solutions - Gulf Coast publishes the Houston Area Employment Situation each month, offering a clear look at job trends across the region. Based on data from the Texas Workforce Commission and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the report highlights employment shifts across major industries and tracks unemployment rates in the 13-county region.

Published the third Friday of every month, the report includes detailed data on monthly and annual changes in employment across 11 major sectors and numerous industries. It also includes the Workforce Solutions Index, which measures the relative advantage of jobseekers compared to employers, and vice versa, depending on the state of the economy. The three most recent reports are available below and you can explore past editions in our archive.

September 2026 Highlights

Employers in the Houston area shed 7,300 jobs (NSA) in September over the month. Seasonally adjusted employment, which accounts for typical seasonal patterns like school schedules and holiday hiring, stood at 3,494,100, down 14,600 jobs over the month. The not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 4.6 percent, down over the month and down over the year.

A Look at the Economy

Latest Episode: Houston Jobs & Advanced Manufacturing

What do Houston’s employment trends and new manufacturing investments mean for the region’s workforce?

Previous Episodes

A Look at the Economy: October 2026 Gulf Coast Workforce Board