Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Workforce Commission announced that the Texas labor market has reached 12,998,200 total nonagricultural jobs in November 2021, surpassing its previous pre-pandemic employment high of 12,970,000 jobs in February 2020.
"Texas continues to reach unprecedented milestones thanks to our unwavering commitment to economic freedom and our young, skilled, growing, and diverse workforce," said Governor Abbott.
This milestone in job creation is a display of just how strong the Texas economy is, and Fort Bend County is further evidence that a pro-business culture generates commercial activity and jobs. With a civilian labor force of nearly 400,000 people, a regional labor shed of 3.2 million, and a growing commercial base, Fort Bend is quickly becoming a major job center in the Greater Houston region.
Woods & Poole estimates that Fort Bend County's population will reach 1 million people in the next five years, and 1,732,510 by 2050. Availability of talent powers our commercial engine, allowing the county to continue to expand and develop. In the coming years, we expect to see significant growth in advanced manufacturing, corporate headquarters, innovation and entrepreneurialism, biotech and health care, and logistics and warehousing.
Recent additions to Fort Bend County include Dollar Tree, Amazon, and Wet Sounds, which all brought jobs into the community, and complemented expansion projects such as Frito Lay, Accredo Packaging, Inc., Biotics, and Bluebonnet Nutrition. In total, these projects accounted for hundreds of jobs added and millions of dollars in capital investment.
A growing workforce, that is both diverse and well-educated buoys job creation and attracts companies with large talent needs. Fort Bend is the best educated, most diverse county in Greater Houston, with more than 47 percent of our population possessing a bachelor's degree or higher and 27 are foreign-born.
Understanding workforce is the most valuable asset a community offers businesses. Fort Bend invests in talent attraction, upskilling, and workforce development, focusing our efforts on each step in the education journey- kindergarten to workforce. The University of Houston, Houston Community College, Texas State Technical College, and Wharton County Junior College, all in Fort Bend County, work collaboratively with the county and corporate leadership to ensure the workforce pipeline pumps well-trained, employable talent into the labor pool.