Southwest Economy, Fourth Quarter 2021

Fourth Quarter 2021
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• Largest Texas metros lure big-city, coastal migrants during pandemic
  Wenli Li and Yichen Su
  Almost two years since the pandemic began, high-frequency data show that migration to Texas has accelerated, as the state’s four biggest metros experience an influx of migrants often from the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. The emergence of working from home has lessened both workers’ and some companies’ reliance on physical offices, clearing the way for the new wave of mobility.
• Texas joblessness persists above U.S. rate, weighing on black, hispanic workers
  Anil Kumar
  Texas lost proportionately fewer jobs than the nation during the pandemic, yet the unemployment rate rose above the national rate—a gap that has persisted. Women and minorities were affected disproportionately at the outset. While the gender unemployment gap has largely dissipated, the gaps between white workers and both Black and Hispanic workers have persisted above pre-COVID-19 levels.
• Semiconductors key to global growth; geographic supply risks loom
  On the Record: A Conversation with Tyson Tuttle
  Tuttle, CEO of Silicon Labs in Austin, shares his insights on current issues in the semiconductor industry and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
• Spotlight: Natural gas demand recovers, lifts prices
  Jesse Thompson
  Global demand for U.S. natural gas has risen as many pandemic-induced limits on economic activity have been lifted, but domestic production has only slowly recovered
• Go Figure: Pandemic, remote learning undo STAAR test gains; Texas student scores slide
  Design: Justin Chavira, Olumide Eseyin; Content: Christopher Slijk, James Lee
  Hispanic and Black students’ scores on the 2021 exam fell more than those of white students and reversed previous years' gains.