Austin’s Job Market 2025: Still Hot, Just Not ‘Everyone Panic’ Hot

Austin’s job market is still one of the strongest in the country so let’s look at what’s actually happening. Over the last year, the Austin–Round Rock metro added about 18,500 jobs — a 1.4% increase from May 2024 to May 2025. Zoom out a bit, and we’re looking at roughly 28,500 jobs added from 2023 to 2024 overall. Not explosive, but steady and resilient, which in today’s economy is basically the equivalent of having your act together.

Unemployment has mostly stayed in the low-to-mid-3% range, landing around 3.7% in mid-2025. That still beats state and national averages, which means if you can’t find work here, you might want to check your resume for typos (or at least make sure you’re not applying to every job as “Dear Hiring Manager” with no customization - we see you).

Wages are solid too: average hourly pay in the area sits in the mid-$30s, and Austin remains a relatively high-earning metro among large U.S. cities. Tech is still important - it always will be - but here’s the plot twist: high-tech industries make up only about 16% of local jobs.

That means 84% of Austin’s economy is built on everything else: healthcare, education, hospitality, construction, real estate, logistics, government, and the ever-expanding army of people making breakfast tacos and cold brew at 7 AM because someone has to fuel what’s running the city.

Translation: You do not need to know React, Python, or whatever coding language is trendy this week to build a career here.