Houston’s already weak apartment market is facing an uphill battle, as several of its job sectors are especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. As tourism and service industries slow nationwide, the Leisure and Hospitality and Trade, Transportation and Utilities sectors are particularly susceptible to job losses. Trade, Transportation and Utilities is Houston’s biggest workforce segment, accounting for 20.3% of total jobs. Leisure and Hospitality Services makes up another 10.2%. In addition to what the rest of the nation is facing, Houston’s economy is also heavily dependent on the oil and gas sector, which has seen a noted decline in recent months. Professional and Business Services, which includes many white-collar oil and gas jobs in the market, makes up 16.3% of the local economy. Mining, Logging and Construction, including oil and gas extraction, accounts for 9.8% of Houston’s workforce. Houston also makes up the largest concentration of petrochemical manufacturing in the world. Overall, 7.5% of Houston’s workforce is in Manufacturing. Added together, these susceptible workforce segments make up over half of Houston’s economic base.
