THE WORKFORCE INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
The Workforce Intelligence Brief.
Bi-weekly research on the data, policy and strategy shaping workforce outcomes across Texas and beyond. Written for university leaders, EDC directors and workforce board executives.
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Why does the job market feel broken even after 172,000 jobs were added?
May 2026 added 172,000 jobs, double the 85,000 economists forecast. Long-term unemployment is up 524,000 in a year. Entry-level tech hiring is down 73.4% while AI engineering postings grew 143% year over year. Workforce Pell goes live July 1 and the first HB8 downward adjustments hit Texas colleges in October.
93% of students say they are ready. 54% of employers agree. That gap has a cost.
93% of students believe they are learning the skills they need. Only 54% of employers agree. 69% of recent graduates require significant additional training after being hired. The institutions and regions closing this gap with real-time workforce intelligence will have a measurable advantage in enrollment, hiring speed and economic competitiveness.
Why talent now leads every site selection conversation in the top-performing regions
Texas landed 1,400+ business projects in 2025 with $75B in capital and 42,000 new jobs. The Area Development survey shows 100% of corporate respondents now rank skilled labor as important or very important. Workforce moved from slide 8 to slide 1.
Are we training people for the jobs that are coming?
18% of U.S. firms have adopted AI but 78% of the labor force works at those firms. $700 billion is flowing into AI infrastructure in 2026. Georgetown CEW projects a 5.25 million skilled worker shortfall by 2032.
A degree used to be a safety net. The data says it isn't anymore.
Recent grad unemployment hit 5.7% in Q4 2025 while overall unemployment held at 4.2%. Entry-level knowledge-work postings dropped 46-67% since 2018. Texas is building an alternative pipeline at scale with 40,000 active apprentices.
What 52% graduate underemployment really means for universities right now
More than half of bachelor's degree graduates are underemployed within a year of finishing school and 45% remain so a decade later. The new OBBBA earnings test takes effect July 1, 2026. Most institutions aren't ready.
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