South Montgomery County reports more jobs in January

Houston Business Journal

While overall employment numbers are still down across the nation, major employers in South Montgomery County reported 230 more employees this January compared to the end of January 2009.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Healthcare created the most jobs in South Montgomery County in 2009, according to a recent survey by the South Montgomery County Woodlands Economic Development Partnership. The survey included non-retail companies with 100 or more employees.

St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital now has 980 employees, up from 884 in 2009. In addition, the new St. Luke’s Lakeside Hospital opened in September 2009, creating 143 more jobs, and bringing St. Luke’s total employment in the region to 1,123.

Lone Star College System also made a number of new hires, now employing 1,011 in South Montgomery County, up from 844 in 2009.

Some companies did lay off employees, but still overall, the region had a net growth of 230 jobs, according to Gil Staley, chief executive officer of the partnership. He said there are currently close to 50 companies in South Montgomery County that employ more than 100 people and 11 companies that employ more than 500 people.

Close to 23,000 people now are employed by major, non-retail companies, said Staley. According to DemographicsNow, there are 75,020 people employed in the area.

“In the midst of an economic downturn, we are most pleased to see positive job growth with our major employers,” Staley said. “After evaluating the companies with job gains, we found that healthcare and education continue to be significant growth industries in this community.”