AUSTIN, Texas — Downtown Austin employment has exceeded pre-pandemic numbers with more than 109,000 now working in the area.
In the first quarter of 2020, prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns, downtown employment was at 106,904. Industries such as professional, scientific and technical services as well as healthcare and social assistance are responsible for bringing in over 2,000 downtown area jobs.
Downtown has also seen total leasing activity exceed pre-pandemic levels. Tech conglomerate Meta signed a lease for a 589,000 square foot space in 2021 — the largest of the year. TikTok and Cirrus Logic also signed hefty leases for 126,000 square feet and 120,000 square feet, respectively.
In May, Austin's unemployment rate hit 2.5%, the lowest percentage since the beginning of the pandemic. COVID-related issues and layoffs in May 2020 saw the employment rate rise to 11.4%.
Manufacturing, professional business services and leisure and hospitality all experienced the greatest increase in workers from March to April of this year.
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