If you’re looking for a job in the energy or oil industries, Houston might be your best chance of scoring a steady gig.
While oil and energy jobs increased 5.2 percent nationally in the last year through May, the numbers were more than double that in Houston — up 12.4 percent, according to the LinkedIn Workforce Report, a monthly analysis of employment trends.
The report, released Wednesday, also showed that Houston’s tight labor market, with more jobs than people in some fields, makes the city especially desirable for job seekers. In February 2016, there were more than 16,000 people with the skills to work in trades like petroleum engineering, energy and geology. Two years later, that number had dropped to fewer than 14,000 people.
In fact, right now, throughout the nation, there are more jobs than people out of work, something that was reflected in the Labor Department’s recent jobs report.
“It has been such an insane run for hiring,” said LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Daniel Roth, a CNBC contributor.
The question is now, “If you’re an employer, where do you find these workers?” Roth said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Other industries in Houston with skills shortages include marketing, event management, construction and nonprofit fundraising. The city was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey last summer, perhaps another reason why America’s fourth largest city is now a hot spot for some industries.
An abundance of industries to choose from is also a safer bet for employees. The report pointed out that when a city is dependent on one sector to fuel employment — whether it be San Francisco’s tech industry or New York’s financial markets — this can be especially troublesome should the sector or economy go bust.
Nationally, hiring across all U.S. industries rose 4.5 percent in May from a year earlier. Other growth sectors were aerospace, automotive and transportation industries, which rose 7.5 percent in May, compared with the year before, and finance and insurance, which was up 6.4 percent in the last year.
And the people looking for jobs in May tended to be heading West. Cities that saw an influx of workers included Denver (nearly 75,000), Austin, Texas (68,000), Seattle (62,000 people), and Las Vegas (about 61,000). Houston wasn’t among the top 10 gainers.
Meanwhile, Northeastern cities like Hartford, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island, lost more than 50,000 workers.
WATCH: LinkedIn’s Daniel Roth talks hiring