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Austin deemed one of America's all-stars for job growth by new report

From 2009 to 2018, Austin added 295,000 jobs for a growth rate of 38.1 percent.

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In terms of job growth, Austin sits near the peak of the economic mountain in the United States.

A new report from commercial real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield recognizes Austin as one of the top metros for job growth among 35 major areas from 2009 — at the end of the Great Recession — to 2018.

For the report, Cushman & Wakefield analyzed the percentage change in job growth from 2009 to 2018 for the 35 metro areas and the number of jobs those regions added during the same period. The company’s researchers then averaged those two figures to compute an overall score for each metro area.

Austin landed at No. 5, with an overall score of 8.5. In Cushman & Wakefield's assessment, the lower the number, the better.

The report shows that from 2009 to 2018, Austin added 295,000 jobs for a growth rate of 38.1 percent, the largest percent increase of the metros analyzed.

Austin was one of six "all-star" metro areas highlighted in the report. All of them have added jobs at a "breakneck pace" during the current economic expansion, Cushman & Wakefield says. At least for now, job growth in Austin shows little sign of letting up, in tandem with the area's continuing population boom, and consistent high marks for its quality of life.

Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal named Austin the top U.S. job market, and another study called the Capital City one of the best performers in the country for jobs. In 2018, Austin was declared one of the top 10 hottest housing markets, a top economic powerhouse, and best place to live in the U.S. The year before that, Austin was named one of the best places for recent graduates and one of the world's top cities to watch.

Another Texas metro ranks No. 1 on the "all-star" list, with an overall score of 5. The report shows that from 2009 to 2018, Dallas-Fort Worth added 754,200 jobs for a growth rate of 25.7 percent.

In descending order, the all-star metros cited by Cushman & Wakefield are DFW; New York City and San Francisco, (each with a score of 7.5, tied for second place); Riverside-San Bernardino, California (score of 8, fourth place); Austin (8.5, fifth place); and Orlando, Florida (9, sixth place).

(While Austin registered the largest percentage increase in jobs, the growth in sheer number of jobs places it at No. 16 among the 35 metro areas for total employment growth. Once those two figures were averaged, Austin sat at No. 5 in the metro rankings.)

Two other Texas cities — Houston (score of 13 in the Cushman & Wakefield report) and San Antonio (score of 18.5) — were among the metro areas in the next tier, which Cushman & Wakefield classified as “overachievers.” While not at the same level as the all-stars, these metros are outperforming the country as a whole, the report says.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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