DALLAS – Texas employment and job growth slowed in June, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The report also says tariffs and other factors are having a noticeable impact on construction projects in the state. 

Aside from job growth falling, the Dallas Fed says while we see a bunch of cranes in the sky, construction contract values have declined nearly 30 percent since January.

What we know:

Uncertainty has been the key word to describe 2025 from an economic standpoint. 
This week, the Dallas Fed released a report saying Texas’ overall economic growth is trending lower. 

What they’re saying:

Luis Torres is a senior business economist with the Dallas Fed and tells FOX 4 about the uncertainty with the Dallas economy going forward. 

“The word uncertainty pops out everywhere, right? Uncertainty, uncertainty going forward in the future, and that’s affecting their decisions, their business operations going forward,” said Torres.

“From the report, what’s surprising is, first, the employment numbers. They came out negative for the state of Texas. That’s something that’s really rare for our state.”

Construction impact

Local perspective:

Tariffs also continue to impact the state economy. One key example is construction.

Alan Hoffmann of Hoffmann Homes is also part of the Dallas Builders Association. 

“Yesterday, I had to pay $1,000 extra for a cistern that I’m installing at a property that we’ve developed in East Dallas,” said Hoffmann. “We look for predictability and stability and that’s really, I think what any business looks for.”

Shortage of skilled workers

Dig deeper:

What we’ve heard from large and small businesses is that it’s hard to plan for the future with so much uncertainty about the cost of goods and materials.

The Dallas Fed report says residential construction is down by 7 percent and non-residential construction is off by 25 percent. 

The report does note that some of the declines since January are due to projects being completed. 

Another issue facing builders is a continued shortage of skilled workers. 

“The skilled labor shortage has been ongoing, and we are very actively involved with Collin College, Dallas College, and really helping the trade programs that are really being developed. We’ve seen accelerated interest in the trades because they are high-paying jobs. And so the skilled, that’s a training process that takes some time,” said Hoffmann.

What’s next:

The Dallas Fed says looking ahead to the fall, businesses will have to continue to navigate the uncertain climate with tariffs being a big part of that. 

The Source: Information in this article was provided from interviews conducted by FOX 4’s Steven Dial.

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