Governor Greg Abbott on Sep 20th, celebrated Texas as the nation’s jobs leader following the release of August employment data showing a surge in Texas jobs, with Texas employers adding 78,000 jobs over the month and 302,400 jobs over the last 12 months. Texas led all states for jobs gained over the month and over the year and again set new records for total jobs, the number of Texans working, and the size of the Texas labor force.

“Texas continues to lead the nation in innovation and job creation,” said Governor Abbott. “The rich diversity of our state is the foundation of our competitiveness. With our young, skilled, diverse, and growing workforce and the broad range of world-class industries investing in Texas, our state is uniquely positioned to remain an economic leader and chart a course through evolving market demands towards an even brighter future. In fact, every region of this great state offers unique strengths and the opportunity for hardworking Texans to aspire and thrive. Working together with communities large and small, we continue to build a bigger, better Texas for all.”

August jobs data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Workforce Commission shows:

• Texas reached a new high with the largest labor force ever in the state’s history at 15,398,400.
• Texas reached a new high for Texans working, including self-employed, at 14,771,400.
• Texas reached a new high for total jobs at 14,239,200 after adding 78,000 non-farm jobs in August, the most jobs added over the month in the nation.
• Texas added 302,400 non-farm jobs from August 2023 to August 2024, leading all states and outpacing the nation in annual growth rate.
• The Texas unemployment rate in August of 4.1 percent was 0.1 percentage point below the national rate.

Yesterday in El Paso, Governor Abbott championed the role of entrepreneurs and small business owners driving job growth across Texas in his keynote address at the Governor’s Small Business Summit to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrate the notable contributions Hispanic Texans have made to the state and the nation.