Texas Employment Numbers Hit Record High in April for 5th Consecutive Month

The positive trends in the Texas labor market show the Lone Star State’s efforts to invest in the success of the Texas economy,' said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel.

The Houston skyline behind refineries, on Aug. 28, 2023. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Texas’s total nonfarm employment hit a record high last month following thousands of new job additions, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) said in a May 16 statement.

The state added 37,700 new positions in April, which took the total number of nonfarm jobs in Texas to 14.32 million. This was the fifth consecutive month of record-high jobs.

Over the past year, 215.500 jobs have been added, with the state’s annual nonfarm job growth rate exceeding the national rate.

Total civilian labor force—referring to all individuals aged 16 and above who are working or actively seeking employment—was 15.81 million in April, the highest ever. This was the 58th time during the past 60 months the state’s labor force expanded.

“The positive trends in the Texas labor market show the Lone Star State’s efforts to invest in the success of the Texas economy,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel.

TWC’s commissioner representing labor, Alberto Trevino III, attributed the growing demand for skilled workers across various industries to the state’s “strong focus on innovation and economic growth.”

The services sector saw the largest number of employment additions, with 27,400 new jobs added in April from the previous month. This was followed by the professional and business services sector with 10,900 new jobs and the goods-producing industry with 10,300 jobs added.

The unemployment rate in the state was 4.1 percent, the TWC statement said.

In a May 16 statement commenting on April job numbers, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the state the “undisputed champion” when it comes to attracting job-creating business investments in the country.

“Businesses invest with confidence in Texas thanks to the Best Business Climate in America and our highly skilled and growing workforce. That is why Texas employers have added more than 2.5 million jobs since I became governor and why more Texans are working than ever before,” he said.

“But we will not be complacent. We will continue to advance pro-growth economic policies, invest in career training for high-demand occupations, and partner with Texas businesses and innovators to remain the Best State for Business and the best state for good-paying jobs over the next decade and beyond.”

Delaware Exodus

Texas’s stellar job numbers come as the state stands to benefit from any potential exodus of businesses from Delaware amid criticism over its corporate legal framework. Delaware is a key state for business incorporations.

The issue was highlighted by Simon Property Group, a Delaware corporation, in a March 21 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Businesses incorporated in Delaware are facing an “increasingly litigious environment,” which imposes significant financial and human resource costs on companies, it said.

Delaware’s corporate laws had come under intense criticism from industrialist Elon Musk last year after a court in the state blocked a $56 billion pay package from Tesla to him as CEO, despite approval by the board of directors. The court issued the decision based on a case filed by an individual who owned just nine shares in the company.

Musk later shifted the incorporation of Tesla and SpaceX from Delaware to Texas.

Last week, Abbot signed into law Senate Bill 29, a “pro-growth” business legislation, his office said in a May 14 statement.

Senate Bill 29 tackles the situation of courts overriding corporate decisions.

The bill ensures that “business decisions are made by Texas corporations, through their shareholders and elected boards, and not third-party activists,” the office of Texas state Sen. Bryan Hughes, who filed the bill, said in a Feb. 27 statement.

Abbott said the bill provides companies “the certainty that sound business judgments made in the best interest of shareholders will not be second-guessed by courts.”