Houston displays remarkable growth
“Houston’s economic downturn is over and a slow recovery has begun.” These words are found in the opening paragraph of the Greater Houston Partnership’s “2017 Houston Employment Forecast,” released in December, which sets the tone for an optimistic outlook for the region.
Furthermore, the forecast calls for an increase of 29,700 net jobs this year, as well as continued population growth throughout the Houston metropolitan area.
This is great news for current residents, and for people who will be relocating to Houston in the near future.
“We’ve been through a couple of tough years, but they were tough years by Houston standards,” said Bob Harvey, GHP’s president and CEO. “We should acknowledge that throughout that period, that we never had a 12-month year-to-year decline in employment. That is pretty remarkable, having withstood the magnitude of the recent downturn within the energy sector.
“That really says a lot about the resilience and diversity of the Houston economy.”
According to Harvey, construction (both residential and commercial) is one of the factors that has aided the Houston economy in the past couple of years.
“Fortunately, residential construction appears to continue to be strong, and that’s a reflection of just how much of a deficit we have built up following the re- cession,” Harvey said.
He said that Houston-area home builders had really pulled back on new home construction during the recession of 2008, and that they have be playing catch up ever since.
Even amid the recession, people flocked to Houston, thus creating an ongoing need for more single-family housing.
“If you look at population data since 1981, it just screams the fact that Houston is a remarkable story of growth,” Harvey said. “It’s in our genes that Houston is about growth. You see it in business growth and in population growth. We maintain a healthy business climate that continues to attracts investment.”
The word “opportunity” is one that has become synonymous with Houston. In fact, Harvey said that there is such an aura of opportunity in Houston, that the city has been able to attract newcomers in both good times and bad.
He said that apart from a period in the mid-’80s when Houston did see a net loss of jobs and population, that in the years since, Houston has maintained the kind of steady growth that continues today.
“We continue to attract people to Houston who see the opportunity here as being better than what they see in other parts of the country. For people who are looking at the long term, and trying to decide where to start and build a career, raise a family, or build a business, Houston is still seen as that city,” Harvey said.
Additionally, Harvey said there is a quality of life found in Houston, that is one of the key factors that continue to entice new residents and businesses to the area.
“Young people in particular are very much drawn to the quality of life, and the fact that Houston has become a very positive quality of life story nationally over the last few years, has made a huge difference,” he said.
“When we interact now with business people and young talent around the country, we are seeing a much greater recognition that Houston affords a quality of life that is really second to none.”
He said this is evident in terms of the combined recreational assets that Houston has to offer, which in many cases, people from other parts of the country and the world, just don’t think they will find as part of the landscape here.
Harvey said that some of those assets include Discovery Green and the linear parks along the bayous, as well as Houston’s traditional arts and cultural events, mixed in with our professional sports teams, and a very diverse culinary scene.
All eyes will be on Houston in a few weeks as the city prepares to host the Super Bowl.
This is a perfect opportunity to introduce and showcase Houston as the exciting, vibrant city it has become.
Much has changed in Houston since 2004, which was the last time that the Super Bowl was held here.
“This diverse community manifests itself in so many creative and clever ways, while maintaining a friendliness and openness, that you might think would have been lost given that diversity; however, it seems the opposite has occurred,” Harvey said. “People who plan on coming to Houston this year for the Super Bowl are just going to be amazed by the transformation of this city in just 13 short years.”
Michelle Sandlin is an award-winning writer, journalist and global mobility industry expert. Her work is frequently featured in Worldwide ERC’s Mobility magazine, and in various business and industry related publications and corporate blogs. Follow her on Facebook: www.facebook. com/TheMichelleSandlin and on Twitter: @ MichelleSandlin. Also visit “On the Move” at blog. chron.com/onthemove.