Houston – Good news for Texans: As our economy improves, more companies are hiring again.
Texas’ unemployment rate
- Before the pandemic in February 2020, the unemployment rate in Texas was 3.9%.
- In April 2020, as businesses shut down, the percentage of unemployed Texans shot up to 14.3%.
- Right now, the unemployment rate is 8%.
If you are part of the 8% looking for work, these are the industries and businesses hiring right now:
Healthcare and social assistance
Healthcare and medical workers are not only essential, they are in demand. Many nursing positions come with sign-on bonuses. Also, you may not need a medical degree to work in some healthcare positions.
“All of those different outpatient types of services that we go for -- X-rays, blood work, all the laboratories -- so all of those different types of health care jobs,” said Michelle Castrow with Workforce Solutions. On the agency’s job finder site, MyTxCareer, there are far more healthcare and social assistance jobs posted than any other with 9,349 job openings.
The Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) is looking for a carpenter at its Cypress hospital.
Methodist Hospital has 1,244 openings listed, while Memorial Hermann has 841 positions it wants to fill.
Educational Services
Check local school districts. There are 4,647 jobs listed right now in the education sector. From substitute teaching positions to special education aides in Pasadena ISD, not all of the jobs require a teaching degree or certificate.
Workforce Solutions also offers free help for Texans drafting resumes, preparing for job interviews and finding free training that could make applicants more desireable to employers.
United Way’s free THRIVE program helps individuals and families whose household income is below $62,000 with the following services:
- Financial and employment counseling
- Vocational and career pathway training opportunities
- Assistance with registration process at local community colleges
- Screening for community resources and benefits
- Financial and job readiness workshops
- Computer resource room for job search and resume writing
Recruiters with the Brookwoods Group that specializes in recruiting and placing professionals with companies say they are starting to see businesses hiring again. Brookwoods Vice President of Operations Debbie Milks said you should reach out to recruiters that specialize in the industry or type of position you want to get. These agencies are usually paid by the businesses who need the employees. You should never have to pay a recruiter to help you find a job.
On Brookwoods site right now, there are just five jobs listed, but Milks says there are more.
“Some jobs we can’t list,” Milks explained. “We’re afraid of getting inundated with candidates as well.”
While you’re looking and applying, Milks says you need to have a presence on LinkedIn.
“Recruiters use LinkedIn a lot,” she explained. “They use that to find people. They use that to check up on people and they’ll use that to source people. So they’ll say ‘Hey, I see you’re working here. Do you know anybody who has this skill set?’”
Milks says the rule of thumb is that for every $10,000 a job pays in salary, it takes about one month of searching to find and land that job. A job that pays $70,000 a year, for example, will take about seven months of searching to get.