Job growth strong here

State numbers also climb as the oil recovery continues to gather steam amid higher crude prices and an increasing rig count

Employment grew at a solid pace in Greater Houston last month — with 67,000-plus jobs added in the 12 months that ended in February — as the oil recovery advanced.

Employment grew at a solid pace in Greater Houston last month as the oil recovery advanced and the state and national economies strengthened.

The Houston area added more than 67,000 jobs in the 12 months ending in February, a growth rate of 2.2 percent. The pace was slightly below the state’s 2.3 percent increase, but well above national employment growth rate of 1.6 percent. The local unemployment rate in February, 4.7 percent, was nearly a point lower than a year ago.

The improvement follows the rebound in the region’s critical energy industry as oil prices have climbed and drilling activity, particularly in West Texas’ Permian Basin, has picked up. Oil jumped 2.5 percent Friday to settle at $65.88 a barrel in New York. The number of operating drilling rigs in U.S. oil and gas fields rose to 995, up four from the previous week, the Houston oil field services company Baker Hughes reported Friday.

Jobs are beginning to follow the increased activity. Energy services providers, for example, added 3,500 jobs over the past year in the Houston area, a nearly 10 percent increase, according to the Workforce Commission data.

Other sectors with strong job growth here included professional and business services, which added 25,000 jobs over the year, a 5 percent increase; con-

struction which gained 9,300 jobs, a 4 percent jump; financial activities, where employment grew by 4,000 jobs or 2.5 percent; and manufacturing, which added 4,800 jobs over the year, a 2 percent increase.

The region has also benefited from strong national and state economies. Nationally, employers added more than 300,000 in February while the unemployment rate, at 4.1., held near its lowest level since the beginning of the century, according to the Labor Department. In Texas, employers expanded payrolls for the 20th consecutive month in February, adding 40,500 jobs, according to the Workforce Commission. Over the past year, Texas gained 285,000 jobs.,

After shedding tens of thousands of jobs during a brutal energy downturn in 2015 and 2016, the Texas oil industry has gained 28,000 jobs over the past year, up 13 percent from a year ago. The industry gained 6,500 jobs in February alone.

Other sectors that turned in strong statewide job gains February included professional and business services, with an additional 13,000 jobs; retail, with 6,800; construction, with 5,300; and education and health services, with 4,100 new jobs.

Other sectors with strong job growth here included professional and business services.