Houston job growth outpaces national rate

By the numbers: Metro Houston added 44,700 jobs in the 12 months ending in August, according to newly released Texas Workforce Commission data.

Zoom in: About two-thirds of sectors added jobs, with construction and administrative support adding up to more than half of the region's gains.

The intrigue: Houston's annual job growth rate is 1.3%, more than five times the national rate of 0.2% after the region saw stronger-than-usual job growth through much of the summer.

Yes, but: Momentum cooled in August, with the region adding just 900 jobs month over month, the smallest August gain since 2016.

• Before the pandemic, Houston added an average of about 5,000 jobs in August.

The bottom line: Houston's economy isn't booming across every sector, but the latest numbers point to a meaningful pickup after last year's slowdown, and the GHP now expects the region to add more jobs this year than it initially anticipated.