TEXAS \u2014 Texas closed out 2025 with sluggish job growth, even as the state\u2019s unemployment rate remained steady, leaving workers and economists with mixed signals heading into the new year.<\/p>\n
The Texas Workforce Commission reported that the state\u2019s unemployment rate sits at 4.2%, just below the national average. But hiring momentum has slowed, a trend that workers across North Texas say they are feeling firsthand.<\/p>\n
Fort Worth resident Chris Spinks is among those struggling to find steady work. He is entering his fifth month without a full-time job.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been more of the same thing, if not slower,\u201d Spinks said.<\/p>\n
Despite more than 20 years of experience in entertainment marketing, Spinks said employers have shown little interest in his applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be lucky to get one or two calls or emails in a month,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Spinks added that some openings do not appear to be fully formed positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd some of those are, you know, they\u2019re just kind of kicking the tires; they\u2019re not even necessarily real jobs yet. They\u2019re just seeing, you know, what my interest level would be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Researchers at Texas A&M University\u2019s Real Estate Research Center point to policy-related uncertainty and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence as factors contributing to the hiring slowdown.<\/p>\n
Faced with limited opportunities, Spinks charted a different course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really focused on building my own business, kind of creating my own path here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Spinks launched his own marketing LLC, incorporating artificial intelligence into his work. The business has grown enough to support his family of four, though he says the transition has come with challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the things about business ownership is that, you know, that check doesn\u2019t come every two weeks like it does when you\u2019re a full-time employee,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Maryann Kellam, president and CEO of the Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Spinks\u2019 experience reflects a broader trend across North Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cStandpoint of new businesses \u2014 we\u2019re seeing, I think we saw our numbers \u2014 we almost doubled from last year,\u201d Kellam said.<\/p>\n
For those considering entrepreneurship, Kellam emphasized preparation and professional support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s three people that you need to have: you have to have a good accountant, a good attorney and be part of the chamber,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite current hiring challenges, Texas A&M researchers say the U.S. economy is expected to continue expanding, with hiring improvements projected over the next several months.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Spinks said he is focused on staying financially cautious while remaining open to new opportunities.<\/p>\n
Though his financial situation has stabilized, Spinks said he is not closing the door on returning to the workforce.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t rule anything out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TEXAS \u2014 Texas closed out 2025 with sluggish job growth, even as the state\u2019s unemployment rate remained steady,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4998,132,910,1570,102,138,116,118,117,19797,223,82,1569,835],"class_list":{"0":"post-160438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-app-local-business","9":"tag-austin","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-ctv","12":"tag-dallas","13":"tag-el-paso","14":"tag-fort-worth","15":"tag-fort-worth-headlines","16":"tag-fort-worth-news","17":"tag-michael-lozano","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-san-antonio","20":"tag-texas-what-you-need-to-know","21":"tag-vod"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}