When Houston-area employers shed 7,300 jobs in September, local newsrooms wanted to know what was behind the numbers. Two of them turned to Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast for answers.
Mohammad Ahmadizadeh, economist for the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, sat down with ABC13’s Nick Natario on October 27 to discuss the latest Houston Area Employment Situation. The segment, which ran under the headline “Houston-area employers shed 7,300 jobs in September: report,” aired again this week.
In the interview, Ahmadizadeh pointed to the school calendar as one factor behind September’s numbers.
“One part is the timing of the return to school,” he said. “We see more school districts start in August, so more hiring is happening earlier, we see less growth in September.”
That timing shows up in the report: the government added 12,100 jobs in September, mostly in education, short of the 21,500 it typically adds that month.
KPRC 2 also covered the release. Its Click2Houston story outlined where the losses landed, how government hiring for the school year compared with a typical September, and how the region is still ahead for the year. The article included Ahmadizadeh’s comments on how broadly the declines reached across industries.
The monthly report tracks job gains and losses across the Houston region, along with the local unemployment rate and Workforce Solutions’ forecast for the year. Coverage on TV and local news sites carries those findings to viewers who may not read labor market reports on their own, including job seekers keeping an eye on which industries are hiring.
You can watch the ABC13 segment and read KPRC 2’s coverage on Click2Houston.
For the complete numbers, read the full Houston Area Employment Situation report or our summary of the September report here.
The next report, covering October employment, is scheduled for release on November 20.
Explore in-demand careers and connect with top employers at upcoming Workforce Solutions hiring events. Register today to secure your spot and access career-building resources.
