DFW 2nd nationally in job growth in 2005

[Aporkalypse]

D-FW area ranks No. 2 in job growth, study says

Dallas Business Journal - 10:31 AM CST Tuesday

Dallas-Fort Worth ranks second only to the Phoenix area in job growth in 2005, according to a study released Tuesday.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area added 79,400 jobs in 2005, bringing total employment to 2,827,100. The area was second only to the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale region of Arizona, which added 106,100 new jobs last year. Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land ranked third on the list with 75,100 new jobs, according to a compilation of Bureau of Labor Statistics Data by the North Texas Commission.

"It is no surprise that the Metroplex has seen a dramatic increase in job growth in 2005," says Dan S. Petty, president and CEO of the commission, a nonprofit regional advocacy group that promotes economic vitality and quality of life in North Texas.

"The 79,400 new jobs, a sharp increase over 2004's turnaround gain of 30,000 new jobs, is evidence that increased facilities and corporate expansions spawn new job creation and growth."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the professional/business services segment added the most jobs with 22,200. The natural resources/mining/construction sector had the highest percentage increase in jobs, with an 8.2 percent rise in jobs.

"This is great news for our region, and it confirms what we have suspected," said Wendy A. Lopez, CEO of LopezGarcia Group, a Dallas-based engineering firm. "The greatest challenge we are currently facing is finding good people to fill these jobs. As a medium-sized engineering design and environmental planning firm of 175 people, we are currently looking to fill 20 open positions."