The Office of Texas Economic Development has released a snapshot of Texas’ current economic status. In December, Texas added 27,000 Professional/Business jobs, 20,100 Trade/Transportation/Utilities jobs, and 6,600 Education/Health Services jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 7.2%, and continues to remain lower than the 13.5% spike in April. More highlights from the snapshot can be found below:
- In November, Texas exports totaled approximately $23.58 billion, up from $15.8 billion in May
- Initial unemployment claims through January 16 continue to be lower than the highest spike in April
- In December, service sector activity experienced a slight increase and retail sales activity remained steady
- Hotel occupancy was 25% in mid-April, but has increased to 40-45% for most of November and early December
- Air passenger throughputs on November 29 were the highest since the start of the pandemic
- 80% of American travelers have plans to take a leisure trip sometime in 2021