A new analysis of the Texas state budget found that cuts in funding could end up costing Harris County, where Houston is located, about $50 million per year. That’s on top of the service cuts, layoffs, and furloughs the county is considering in order to cut 10 percent from its own $1.3 billion budget.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the State of Texas is currently facing a budget shortfall of $15 billion to $27 billion during the next two years. The initial draft of the budget does not increase taxes or use the rainy day fund, but includes deep cuts in such vital departments as public education and social services.

In Harris County, cuts in funding to bridge the state budget gap could effect everything from mental health services to auto theft prevention. As the state and county are forced to reduce costs, it’s inevitable that layoffs will have to be made.

Programs that are slated to lose funding so far include:

• Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County – $13 million
• Harris County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Task Force – $1 million
• Harris County Juvenile Probation Department – $3 million

This is bad news for the Houston area, where the local economy as a whole is continuing to recover from the economic downturn. During December, the area’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.6 percent to 8.3 percent, which was below the national average at the time of 9.4 percent.

The Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area employed a total of 2,542,600 workers during December, which is up from 2,534,500 workers during November and a .5 percent increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, the government industry continues to suffer the lasting effects of the recession. The industry employed 375,700 workers during December, which is down from 377,300 workers during November and a .3 percent decrease from the previous year.

Post-secondary English language and literature teachers conduct courses on various aspects of English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. These employees may primarily teach students or split their time between teaching and research.

The amount of education needed to become a post-secondary teacher depends on both the subject you want to teach and the educational institution in which you want to work. However, most employees have either a master’s degree or doctoral degree. Employers also may perform a Texas background check on you.

There were about 1.7 million post-secondary teachers throughout the nation during 2008, and about 74,800 of those positions belonged to English language and literature teachers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment of all post-secondary teachers is expected to grow by 15 percent by 2018. The majority of these employees work full-time in colleges or universities, while others work as graduate teaching assistants, and about 29 percent work part time.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, 61.67 percent of post-secondary English language and literature teachers in the Houston area work in junior colleges, while 37.57 percent work in colleges, universities, and professional schools.

In the Houston area, employment of post-secondary English language and literature teachers is anticipated to increase by 45.8 percent by 2016. There will be about 20 openings per year due to replacement and about 55 openings per year due to job growth.

Employment throughout Texas should increase by 33.7 percent, from 4,900 workers to 6,550 workers, between 2006 and 2016. There will be about 80 openings per year due to replacement and about 165 openings per year due to job growth.

During 2009, the average wage for post-secondary English language and literature teachers in the Houston area was $34.64 per hour, while the average wage for these employees throughout Texas was $30.57 per hour.

The median wage for all post-secondary teachers across America was $58,830 per year during 2008, with the middle 50 percent of employees earning between $41,600 per year and $83,960 per year; the lowest 10 percent earning less than $28,870 per year; and the highest 10 percent earning more than $121,850 per year.

Some truck drivers are responsible for selling various items to establishments on their routes, such as food products, restaurant take-out items, and pick-up and delivery items like laundry. They also may be responsible for taking orders and collecting payments.

Requirements to become any type of truck driver vary depending on the truck you want to drive. For instance, those driving smaller trucks are usually only required to undergo some on-the-job training, while those driving larger trucks must obtain a commercial driver’s license.

Anyone driving a truck with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more, a vehicle carrying hazardous materials, or a vehicle with over-sized loads must get their CDL. Most applicants can prepare for the CDL test by taking classes at a technical or vocational school.

In order to qualify for a CDL, you must have a clean driving record, pass written tests on rules and regulations, and prove that you can safely operate a commercial truck. In addition, all truck drivers are required by federal law to undergo periodic alcohol and drug testing.

There were about 3.2 million truck drivers and driver/sales workers throughout America during 2008, and that number is expected to grow by 9 percent by 2018, while employment of driver/sales workers should increase by 4 percent during that time.

About 56 percent of employees are heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers, while 31 percent are light or delivery services truck drivers, and 13 percent are driver/sales workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Around 27 percent of employees work for the truck transportation industry, while 26 percent work for wholesale or retail trade companies, and 8 percent are self-employed.

Employment of drivers/sales workers in the Houston area is expected to increase from 7,250 workers during 2006 to 8,200 workers by 2016, resulting in 950 additional jobs and an overall growth rate of 13.10 percent, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Throughout all of Texas, employment is anticipated to grow from 30,750 workers during 2006 to 32,850 workers by 2016, accounting for 2,100 additional jobs and an overall increase of 6.8 percent.

The top industries that employ drivers/sales workers in the Houston area include:

• Limited-service eating places – 30.40 percent
• Grocery and related product merchant wholesalers – 22.23 percent
• Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers – 3.94 percent
• Beverage manufacturing – 2.85 percent
• Full-service restaurants – 2.71 percent
• Drycleaning and laundry services – 2.45 percent

During 2009, the average wage for drivers/sales workers in the Houston area was $10.95 per hour, while the average wage across Texas was $11.76 per hour and the average wage throughout the nation was $12.83 per hour.

The Houston area has continued to fare better than most of the country throughout the economic recession. During June, the area’s unemployment rate was at 8.8 percent, which is lower than the national average of 9.5 percent.

The Houston area had a total non-farm employment of 2,526,600 workers during June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 2,526,000 workers during May and only a .7 percent decrease from last year.

So why are high-level workers leaving the area?

A recent study from Right Management – the career management division of Manpower Inc. – found that up to 13 percent of mid-level to senior-level job seekers who found work during 2009 eventually relocated from the Houston area. The study analyzed data on more than 350 people that found work through the agency.

According to professionals, this isn’t unusual, and may actually be a sign that the economy is improving. That’s because higher-level job seekers typically only accept an offer requiring relocation if the job offer pays more, offers better benefits, or offers more opportunity.

“Surprisingly, this trend has not changed much over recent years,” Don Amick, market vice president for Right Management, told the Houston Business Journal. “While job seekers were challenged with a tough employment market last year, it is reassuring that relocation choices actually turned out to be consistent with the data tracked prior to the recession.

“So relocation is no reflection on any single market, but an indication of a candidate’s fit for a new position,” he added. “Across the South about 20 percent of the job seekers we tracked relocated to a different market.”

Throughout the nation, about 15 percent of people relocated because of work last year.

Although the December 2009 unemployment rate for the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area has not yet been released, the rate throughout Texas as a whole was 8.3 percent that month, lower than the national unemployment rate of 10 percent. Houston had an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent during November.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,535,600 workers during December, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 2,532,900 workers during November, but a 3.5 percent decrease from December 2008.


A whopping seven industries managed to see a monthly increase in employment, including: mining and logging by 300 jobs; manufacturing by 100 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities by 4,100 jobs; financial activities by 200 jobs; education and health services by 400 jobs; leisure and hospitality by 600 jobs; and other services by 100 jobs. Employment in the information industry remained even over the month with 34,300 jobs.

In addition, three industries saw a yearly increase in employment, with the education and health services industry adding the most jobs. The industry employed 296,600 workers during December, up from 296,200 workers during November and a 2.3 percent increase from December 2008.

The government industry employed 372,700 workers during December, down from 375,800 workers during November, but a 1.4 percent increase from the previous year. The leisure and hospitality industry employed 230,600 workers during December, up from 230,000 workers during November and a .7 percent increase from December 2008.

The construction industry took the biggest hit over the year. The industry employed 178,400 workers during December, down from 178,900 workers during November and a 12.5 percent decrease from December 2008.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:
mining and logging by 2.3 percent
manufacturing by 7.8 percent
trade, transportation and utilities by 6.4 percent
information by 5 percent
financial activities by 1.5 percent
professional and business services by 4.7 percent
other services by 2.9 percent

City officials have announced that they will consider relying on employee attrition, efficiency gains from technology and money from a reserve fund to make up for about $7.5 million missing from Houston’s budget this fiscal year.

“I think we’re on the front end of recovery as opposed to the middle or the end,” Controller Ronald C. Green told Bloomberg. “If the trends continue in the direction that they’re going, we will be in a little more of a dire situation.”

During November 2009, the City of Houston brought in $33.9 million in sales tax revenue, an 18.5 percent decrease from the previous year. According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, that decline was the result of employers cutting jobs and the public spending less at retail shops and restaurants.

Houston’s current budget is at about $1.9 billion. The city has a reserve of about $170 million after using $52 million from that fund so far this year. City officials are not expecting to cut jobs or raise taxes, but residents may see an increase in some fees – particularly water and sewer fees – to make up for the needed money.

On the employee side, officials are considering filling fewer job openings throughout most areas of city government. There could be some big problems with this solution, however, as some departments are already asking for more workers.

For instance, the Houston Police Department has reported needing about 1,000 more officers during the next six years. The city is planning to conduct a performance audit on the department’s purchasing and payroll operations in hopes they can become more efficient instead of hiring more employees.

In an additional effort to make money, the city is considering selling pension-obligation bonds to help pay for pensions, as well as refinancing other debt to lower borrowing costs.

The Texas Workforce Commission recently reported that Affiliated Computer Services Inc. has laid off 181 employees from one of its Houston facilities. This is a surprising move, as the company recently added 120 positions in Houston when local clients began seeing more business.

According to reports from the Houston Chronicle and Houston Business Journal, officials at the company, which performs outsourcing services for other companies, said the job cuts were “due to lack of work.”

About 101 of the positions eliminated were in telemarketing, while the remaining 73 were in customer care. All workers who lost their jobs will be offered 60 days of severance pay and benefits, as well as outplacement assistance.

The facility hit during this round of layoffs, which has long served as the company’s customer service and sales operation for an unnamed client, is one of four that Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services Inc. operates in Houston.

The company currently employs about 1,300 workers in the Houston area and 34,000 customer service agents in 150 call centers throughout the world.

During September, Xerox announced its plan to acquire Affiliated Computer Services Inc., creating a $22 billion global corporation.

The job cuts will most likely have a negative impact on the Houston area’s already-declining professional and business services industry.

That industry employed 366,900 workers during November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 367,100 workers during October and a 4.5 percent decrease from last year.

However, the area’s overall economy remains strong. During November, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area saw its unemployment rate decrease from 8.5 percent to 8.2 percent, which is lower than the national unemployment rate of 10 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,534,900 workers during November, up from 2,525,600 workers during October, but a 3.4 percent decrease from last year.