Job Growth Surges in South Texas in September 2023: STMA

McAllen and Edinburg stand out as the cities with the lowest unemployment rates in South Texas as of September 2023.

Mike Willis, CEO of the South Texas Manufacturers Association (STMA), revealed a decline in unemployment rates in Hidalgo and Cameron counties in South Texas during September 2023. This announcement came during the organization's recent meeting held in McAllen.

This decrease in unemployment translated to the creation of over 2,800 new jobs in the region, with 600 of them attributed to the transportation and trade sector.

New Projects

Willis highlighted that McAllen currently boasts the lowest unemployment rate in South Texas at 4.5%, followed closely by Edinburg at 4.7%. Brownsville holds a 5.3% unemployment rate, while Harlingen and Mission both stand at 5.5%.

During the meeting, the CEO of STMA also emphasized the importance of fostering new infrastructure projects to stimulate and streamline international trade processes. In connection with this, Luis Díaz, Interim CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (RGVMPO), presented the progress of at least six infrastructure projects currently in the planning and execution stages in South Texas.

Supply Chains

Representatives from Economic Development Corporations (EDCs) in cities such as Pharr, Harlingen, Brownsville, and McAllen attended the meeting. Additionally, executives from the Port of Brownsville, the Council for South Texas Economic Progress (Costep), and the Index Reynosa association, along with industry representatives and supply chain stakeholders, were present.