By Scott Nishimura
snishimura@star-telegram.com
Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston continue to lead the nation's largest metro areas in new jobs and the rate of job growth compared with a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.
Total nonfarm employment in the 12-county North Texas area stood at 2,929,700 in April, up 83,100 over April 2010, said the bureau's regional commissioner, Stanley Suchman.
Job growth was up 2.9 percent, compared with 1.1 percent for the U.S.
D-FW and Houston also led the nation's largest metro areas in both categories in March.
North Texas has long been a leader in both job and population growth, and the trend has continued even in the economic downturn. That has helped keep unemployment below national and state averages.
In April, the Fort Worth-Arlington jobless rate dropped to 7.6 percent from 8 percent in March and also a year ago. U.S. unemployment stands at 9 percent.
Employment grew faster in Dallas-Plano-Irving in April, rising 62,900 jobs, or 3.1 percent. Fort Worth-Arlington added 20,200 jobs, up 2.4 percent.
Professional and business services, which were particularly strong in Dallas-Plano-Irving, added 24,700 jobs, up 5.9 percent. That was nearly double the U.S. increase of 3.2 percent.
Education and health services, including private but not public schools, added 19,600 jobs. Fort Worth-Arlington added 6.4 percent more positions in that category, and Dallas-Plano-Irving added 5.2 percent. The U.S. gain was 2.2 percent.
Trade, transportation and utilities in North Texas added 12,600 jobs, up 2.2 percent, compared with 1.2 percent for the U.S. Mining, logging and construction added 10,300 jobs, up 6.6 percent.
Financial activities added 9,600 jobs, up 4.2 percent, compared with a 0.4 percent loss nationally; leisure and hospitality, 7,500, up 2.7 percent, compared with 1.8 percent for the U.S.; and government, 4,000, up 1 percent, compared with a 1.7 percent U.S. drop. Government includes public schools.
Information lost 5,400 jobs, down 6.8 percent, compared with a U.S. loss of 1.2 percent. Fort Worth-Arlington was down 10.8 percent, and Dallas-Plano-Irving, 5.9 percent.
Scott Nishimura, 817-390-7808
From:Job Creators Alliance
Nobel Laureate Gary Becker and Judge Richard Posner’s blog, “Why the economic recovery is lagging” is a must read. As Becker-Posner explain, our economy is not even close to having recovered from the September 2008 financial meltdown, and the main reason for that is uncertainty. Businesspeople and consumers are not sure what to expect down the road, and so they have not been able to do the investing, hiring and spending needed to restore the economy. Read the full article:
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/2011/06/why-the-economic-recovery-is-laggingposner.html
America’s economy can only go as far as its people take it. Talking heads can throw around whatever terms or indicators they want, but the truth is that we will only be in recovery once people are being hired again and businesses are investing in the economy. This will require a change in priorities from those in Washington who seem to think that deficit spending and more government are the solution to every problem. What we really need is less government, and a more favorable climate for businesses. We need to listen to our business leaders, because only they know what it will take to get people back to work and get our economy moving forward. Unlike politicians, they have built successful businesses, met payrolls, and had to adapt to new laws. They know that lawmakers in Washington are complicating business conditions, while at the same time overlooking some of the most basic solutions for job growth such as simplifying the tax code, making tax cuts permanent, and loosening constrictive regulations. Job Creators Alliance CEOs know what it will really take to get our country back on track.
http://jobcreatorsalliance.org/Blog/Default.aspx?blogmonth=6&blogyear=2011&blogid=95
From: ADP
Employment in the nonfarm private business sector rose 38,000 from April to May on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report® released today. The estimated change of employment from March 2011 to April 2011 was revised down slightly to 177,000 from the previously reported increase of 179,000.
Today’s ADP National Employment Report suggests that employment growth slowed sharply in May. Employment in the nonfarm private-business sector rose 38,000 from April to May on a seasonally adjusted basis.
A deceleration in employment, while disappointing, is not entirely surprising. In the first quarter, GDP grew at only a 1.8% rate and only about 2¼% over the last four quarters. This is below most economists’ estimate of the economy’s potential growth rate and normally would be associated with very weak growth of employment.
May’s ADP Report estimates employment in the service-providing sector rose by 48,000, marking 17 consecutive months of employment gains while employment in the goods-producing sector fell 10,000 following six months of increases. Manufacturing employment fell 9,000 in May following seven consecutive monthly gains.
Employment among large businesses, defined as those with 500 or more workers, decreased by 19,000, while employment among medium-size businesses, defined as those with between 50 and 499 workers, increased by 30,000. Employment for small businesses, defined as those with fewer than 50 workers, rose 27,000 in May.*
Employment in the construction industry dropped 8,000 in May, completely reversing April’s increase. The total decrease in construction employment since its peak in January 2007 is 2,124,000.
Employment in the financial services sector decreased 6,000 in May.
* All size data included in the ADP National Employment Report is based on size of payroll. In some cases, small and medium-size payrolls belong to businesses employing more workers than indicated by the size grouping.
http://www.adpemploymentreport.com/pdf/FINAL_Report_May_11.pdf
From: US Department of Labor
Total nonfarm employment in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area stood at 2,929,700 in April 2011, up 83,100 over the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. During the previous 12 months, nonfarm employment rose 2.9 percent in the local area compared to 1.1 percent nationwide. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that among the 12 largest metropolitan areas in the country, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ranked first in both the rate of job growth and the number of jobs added during the past year. (See chart 1 and table 1; Technical Note at end of release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)
Chart 1. Total nonfarm employment, over-the-year net change in the Dallas metropolitan area
and its divisions, April 2006 – April 2011 
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area is comprised of two metropolitan divisions – separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Dallas-Plano-Irving Metropolitan Division accounted for 71 percent of the area's workforce, but 76 percent of its job growth, as employment rose by 62,900, or 3.1 percent, from April a year ago. The Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Division added 20,200 jobs during the 12-month period, a 2.4-percent increase.
Industry employment
The professional and business services supersector added 24,700 jobs from April 2010 to April 2011 in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, making this the 13th consecutive month of over-the-year job growth after 18 months of declining employment. The 5.9-percent rate of gain in this industry in April was almost double the 3.2-percent increase nationwide. Of note, the local increase was highly concentrated in the Dallas-Plano-Irving division which added 22,300 jobs, accounting for 90 percent of the industry’s growth in the area. (See table 1.)
The education and health services supersector gained the second-largest number of jobs in April, up 19,600 over the year – the largest 12-month gain since the inception of the series in January 1990. Job growth in this industry was strong in the two metropolitan divisions as Fort Worth-Arlington registered a 6.4-percent increase and Dallas-Plano-Irving, a 5.2-percent increase, both more than twice the national rate of 2.2 percent. (See chart 2.)
The metropolitan area’s largest supersector – trade, transportation, and utilities – added 12,600 jobs over the year, an increase of 2.2 percent. Nationwide, employment in this industry advanced 1.2 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in employment by industry supersector, United States
and the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, April 2011 
The local mining, logging, and construction supersector gained 10,300 jobs over the year, increasing at a rate of 6.6 percent. After registering annual declines for nearly two years, April marked the seventh consecutive month of growth for this industry.
Other local supersectors recording employment advances from April a year ago were financial activities (9,600), leisure and hospitality (7,500), and government (4,000). The nation also experienced job gains in leisure and hospitality, but declines in the financial activities and government supersectors over the 12-month period.
The largest over-the-year job loss in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area was registered in the information supersector. Employment fell 5,400 from April a year ago, a decline of 6.8 percent. Both metropolitan divisions experienced job losses, but the declines were steeper in Fort Worth-Arlington (-10.8 percent) than in Dallas-Plano-Irving (-5.9 percent). The last time this industry added jobs occurred three years ago, in April 2008.
Employment in the 12 largest areas
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in April 2011. Ten of these areas experienced over-the-year job gains during the period, but only two, Dallas and Houston, registered rates of job growth above the 1.1-percent increase nationwide. Job losses were recorded in Atlanta and San Francisco, though the percentage decline in both areas was less than 0.5 percent. (See chart 3 and table 2.)
Chart 3. Over-the-year percent change in employment, United States and 12 largest metropolitan
areas, April 2011 
Dallas had the largest increase in jobs from April a year ago, up 83,100, followed by Houston (51,100), Chicago (37,100), and Los Angeles (36,200). In contrast, Atlanta lost 9,000 jobs and San Francisco, 4,800, during this 12-month period.
Among the 12 metropolitan areas, professional and business services registered the largest employment increase in 4 areas (Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, and Washington) while job gains in education and health services led in 3 areas (Boston, New York, and Philadelphia). Still, there was some diversity in job growth leaders in April as trade, transportation, and utilities was the primary job gainer in both Chicago and Houston, while manufacturing led in Detroit, information in Los Angeles, and leisure and hospitality in Miami.
Government suffered the largest employment decline in seven areas (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia) from April a year ago.
http://www.bls.gov/ro6/fax/dfw_ces.htm
Texas Workforce Press Release
FOR RELEASE: Embargoed until 9 a.m. MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa Givens
DATE: May 20, 2011 PHONE: (512) 463-8556
Total Nonfarm Employment increased by 32,900 in April
AUSTIN —The Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 8.0 percent for April, down from 8.1 percent in March, and from 8.2 percent a year ago. April was the third consecutive month that the Texas unemployment rate decreased, as it remained well below the U.S. unemployment rate for April of 9.0 percent. Texas total nonfarm employment was up by 32,900 jobs in April for a total gain of 254,400 jobs from a year ago.
“Texas has demonstrated its ability to bounce back from the effects of the national recession through strong and consistent job growth over the past year,” said Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chairman Tom Pauken.“Over the past five years, Texas added more than 500,000 jobs, the largest gain for any state in the nation.”
Employment in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities increased by 17,900 jobs in April for a total of 48,700 positions added over the year; Education and Health Services employment rose by 11,300 jobs in April for a total of 49,000 jobs added this year and an annual job growth rate of 3.6 percent. Professional and Business Services employers added 8,000 jobs in April and showed strong over-the-year growth with 57,900 positions added. April also was this industry’s third consecutive month of jobs added.
“When more Texans are employed and providing for themselves and their families, it is good news,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “Although much remains to be done, we have seen significant job growth over the last year, as Texas added more than 254,000 jobs.”
The Financial Activities industry added 3,900 positions in April. Businesses in this industry include insurance, real estate, rental and leasing companies; Mining and Logging employment rose for the sixth straight month, as employers added 3,700 jobs since last month and 32,800 jobs since April 2010.
“Texas continued to add jobs, with seven of the 11 major industries expanding this past month,” said TWC Commissioner Representing the Public Andres Alcantar. “The decrease in the unemployment rate over the month and over the year is another welcome sign.”
The Midland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had the lowest April unemployment rate in the state at 4.4 percent. The Amarillo MSA had the second lowest unemployment rate in April at 5.2 percent, followed by the College Station-Bryan MSA at 5.7 percent (not seasonally adjusted).
1. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), from March 2006 to March 2011 (preliminary), Texas added 539,500 jobs over the past five years when compared with the U.S. 50 states and Washington D.C.
(512) 463-8556 or visit www.texasworkforce.org.