AUSTIN – Texas is doubling down on workforce training as Gov. Greg Abbott says the state continues to lead the nation in business growth and job creation.
At a news conference, Abbott said Texas “rank[s] number one for the most new jobs,” as well as “number one for business expansion and capital investment,” and “the number one business climate.” He also pointed to top rankings “for things like exports, technology and semiconductors.”
Abbott announced the launch of the Texas Jobs Council, which he described as a new partnership bringing together business and labor leaders with a shared focus on “economic growth and good paying jobs.”
He said the council includes business groups such as the Texas Association of Business, Texas Association of Manufacturers, Texas Oil and Gas Association, Texas Chemistry Council and the Texas Association of Builders, along with labor organizations including Teamsters Local 745, Teamsters Joint Council 80, Teamsters Local 988, Plumbers Local 68, the International Longshoremen’s Association, Heat and Frost Insulators Local Union 22, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 450, and Pipefitters Local Union 211.
Abbott said the Texas Jobs Council will be co-chaired by Teamsters leader Brent Taylor and Megan Morrow of the Texas Association of Business.
“The Texas Jobs Council is an official advisory board,” Abbott said. He said it will prioritize strengthening the workforce pipeline by helping the existing workforce enhance skills, preparing new job applicants, and developing job training at high schools, colleges and apprenticeship programs.
Abbott said the council will meet monthly beginning next month, “in April,” and will hold quarterly meetings that he will attend. He said the council will also work with state agencies including the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Education Agency, the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The council’s work will include identifying “executive actions that can be taken immediately by state agencies,” along with policy and legislative recommendations for the governor’s office and the Legislature, Abbott said. He said the council will deliver a final report “later on this year, in November” outlining recommended executive actions and legislative proposals.
Morrow said the council’s creation “sends a clear message to Texans about the governor’s strong commitment to expanding economic opportunity for everyone through workforce training and development.” She said continued growth in Texas “requires innovation and workforce development,” and that the council will help ensure Texas “has a skilled workforce ready to meet the needs of our state.”
The presser has already brought concern from Democratic opposition, with Candidate for Texas Governor, Gina Hinojosa, slamming the press conference.
“Greg Abbott doesn’t have a jobs plan – he has a plan to spend a year figuring out how to line the pockets of billionaires,” said Hinojosa. “After 12 years, Texas workers deserve more than press conferences and reports while job growth flatlines.”
Hinojosa is adamant that workers across Texas “deserve more than press conferences and reports while job growth flatlines”
Abbott also highlighted recent state spending on workforce preparation, saying Texas invested $7 billion over the past couple of legislative sessions to expand vocational education, also known as career and technical education. He said the new council builds on that effort by bringing business and labor into the process to better align training with real-world job needs and ensure workers are “fully equipped and trained and ready to go to work on day one.”
During questions, Abbott addressed the impact of the war in Iran on oil prices. He said President Donald Trump has indicated he does not expect “an enduring war,” though the timeline is uncertain. Abbott said there are “various ways” to move oil and “normalize the price,” and that Trump is working on strategies “to lower the price of oil.” Abbott also said that once the war ends, “there’s going to be abundant supply of oil in the entire global market” that would return prices to where they were before the war began.