Private education, oil and gas, health care and management of companies are among the fastest growing areas of employment in the 12 ZIP codes that unofficially make up the Cy-Fair boundaries. Between 2008 and 2013, total jobs in Cy-Fair increased by 8 percent, compared to a roughly 4 percent increase in Houston during that time.
"The north and northwest Houston areas are looking particularly robust right now as areas that are primed for employment growth," said Patrick Jankowski, vice president of the Greater Houston Partnership. "Some people are saying the northwest area could become a second energy corridor, or an 'energy wedge' with I-10 and I-45 as the boundaries and the Grand Parkway coming in to serve as the arc."
Given Houston's reputation as the oil and gas capital of the U.S., it is not surprising to see oil, gas and mining positions coming in as the second-fastest growing job sector in the Cy-Fair area, Jankowski said, pointing out that it was only a matter of time before those positions began to spill over into the booming northwest Houston area. The growth in private education can be tied to more private schools opening up and the importance of education to people in the Cy-Fair area.
Rounding out the top five fastest growing industries in Cy-Fair between 2008 and 2013 are management of companies, health care/social assistance and accommodation/food service.
Among the most significant factors contributing to Cy-Fair's strong job market is the development of the Grand Parkway—a highway serving as an outer loop around northwest Houston connecting I-10 to Hwy. 59—and the relocation of major corporations to the area, such as ExxonMobil and Noble Energy.
"The Grand Parkway is a huge change for the entire region because it allows the mobility for employees and companies to move about more freely and it connects Cy-Fair companies to other companies, residents and the port," said Debbie Howle, director of the North Houston Regional Center for Economic Development. "The headquarters we see moving into our region bring in a lot of business with it, making 2013 almost explosive in growth throughout north Houston."
Job market trends
One of the most notable trends in the Cy-Fair job market is the growth of available positions in management and administration. It is a trend that Howle ties to the booming corporate and industrial environment.
Jobs related to management of companies—which includes financial managers, accountants, auditors, bookkeepers and operations managers—increased by 21 percent in Cy-Fair between 2008 and 2013, from 2,435 to 2,952, making it the third fastest growing sector behind private education and mining/oil and gas. Meanwhile, administration and support positions also increased by 15 percent.
"It's a total change in how the area is viewed by people in the corporate arena," Howle said. "After [ExxonMobil] came in, all of the sudden other companies started realizing the potential here and interest compounded. It almost feels like it happened overnight."
Retail positions, the third largest sector in Cy-Fair making up about 11 percent of the total job market, increased by 7 percent between 2008 and 2013.
Growth in this area reflects Cy-Fair's growing population, according to officials with Clayton Services, a human relations and staffing company. Jankowski agrees.
"A healthy retail sector depends on population, employment and income growth plus a strong dose of consumer confidence," he said in a report. "If Houston were a poker hand, it would hold four aces. Retail sales should remain strong for the foreseeable future."
Positive outlook
ManPower Group—an international workforce solutions company—listed Houston as one of six metropolitan areas in the U.S. with the strongest job outlook for 2014. A survey of 18,000 businesses found 21 percent of Houston-area businesses plan to hire more employees in the second quarter of 2014.
In Cy-Fair, the job growth rate of 8 percent between 2008 and 2013 is expected to continue at a strong clip. The area's top employers—including Cy-Fair ISD, Methodist Willowbrook Hospital and Noble Energy—are all expecting to bring on new hires in 2014 to keep up with the growing population in the area.
Cy-Fair ISD recently announced a $1.2 billion bond initiative, which voters will get a chance to approve or deny in May. Specific details on how an approved bond would affect hiring are being determined, but district officials say the addition of two new elementary schools and one new middle school, among other projects, is going to require hiring faculty, staff and administrators. The district, which grows at a rate of about 2,000 students per year, maintains a student-teacher ratio of 16.7:1. It currently employs more than 13,000 people.
Noble Energy, which develops hydrocarbon resources, finished work on Phase One of its headquarters on Hwy. 249 in September. Work is underway on Phase Two, a 20-story building that is expected to be complete by mid-2015. Noble officials said the expansion will provide the headquarters with space for roughly 700 employees.
"Our new global headquarters will bring our [workforce] closer together, helping to provide the type of working environment that will fuel Noble Energy's continued growth," Noble's chairman and CEO Charles Davidson said.
