Hundreds of Houston manufacturing jobs will soon be lost as an area company makes layoffs. Visit http://houston.jobing.com/jobs/manufacturing to see some current openings.

BAE Systems Ltd. recently announced that it will layoff about 600 employees at the company’s facility in Sealy, which is located about an hour outside of Houston. The cuts are being made in response to reduced defense budgets and fewer long-standing contracts, customer requirements, and production volumes.

The job cuts, which are expected to take place through June, will bring BAE’s local workforce to about 1,200 people. Employees who are affected by the layoffs will be eligible for a severance package, able to apply for other positions within the company, and offered support from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The layoffs are bad news for the local manufacturing industry, which was hit extremely hard by the economic recession, but has finally begun to recover. In recent months, the industry has continued to add jobs on both a monthly and yearly basis, but that impending recovery could be jeopardized by these job losses.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area’s manufacturing industry employed 221,100 workers during March, which is up from 219,100 workers during February and a 2.1 percent increase from last year.

United Kingdom-based BAE Systems mainly manufactures vehicles for the military. At the beginning of last year, the company lost a $3 billion contract to Oshkosh Corporation to build many of those vehicles, placing hundreds of jobs at the Sealy plant in danger.

“Making a decision like this is never easy, as we recognize the impact reductions have on our employees, their families, and the communities where we live and work,” Chris Chambers, general manager of the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Product Line for BAE Systems, told the Houston Business Journal. “Although it’s a difficult decision, it’s a necessary decision, and one that we believe will better position us for growth in today’s challenging economic environment.”

Although there were fewer City of Houston jobs available at the beginning of this year, the local economy continues to improve on a yearly basis.

During January, the Houston area’s unemployment rate climbed to 8.8 percent, after dropping from 8.6 percent to 8.3 percent during December 2010. Despite the latest increase, however, the area’s rate was still lower than the national average at the time of 9 percent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area employed a total of 2,532,100 workers during January, which is down from 2,567,200 workers during December. However, that’s a 2.3 percent increase from last year.

Here’s a look at how each industry stacked up over the month and year:

• Mining and logging – +100 jobs/+7.9 percent
• Construction – -1,800 jobs/+.7 percent
• Manufacturing – +100 jobs/+1.4 percent
• Trade, transportation, and utilities – -15,800 jobs/+1.7 percent
• Information – -500 jobs/-5.8 percent
• Financial activities – -1,300 jobs/-.8 percent
• Professional and business services – -6,200 jobs/+3.7 percent
• Education and health services – -1,400 jobs/+3.4 percent
• Leisure and hospitality – -4,500 jobs/+2.9 percent
• Other services – -400 jobs/+2.3 percent
• Government – -3,400 jobs/+2.5 percent

The future looks bright for those seeking Houston jobs (Click here).

A new report from IHS Global Insight is predicting that Texas will be one of six states throughout America that will grow by more than 2.1 percent between 2010 and 2016. The state as a whole is expected to add 1.5 million jobs – an increase of 2.3 percent – during that five-year period.

“Texas wasn’t as hurt by the recession because it didn’t have the housing price bubble in the pre-recession years like other states did,” Ana Orozco, senior economist in Texas for IHS Global Insight.

Much of the employment increase in Texas will come from the state’s fast-growing high-tech manufacturing industry, which is expected to continue thriving in the coming years. Texas also has an advantage over other states in that it didn’t suffer from the economic downturn as much as others.

The effects of the recovering economy can already be seen in the Houston area. During November, the city’s unemployment rate increased to 8.6 percent after remaining at 8.2 percent for two consecutive months, but that rate was still lower than the national average at the time of 9.8 percent.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area employed 2,536,500 workers during November, which is up from 2,525,600 workers during October and a .4 percent increase from the previous year.

Aside from Texas, the report predicts that employment in Utah is expected to grow by 2.7 percent, in Idaho by 2.4 percent, in Nevada by 2.4 percent, in Arizona by 2.3 percent, and in Florida by 2.2 percent. Other states, such as Ohio, Michigan, Alaska, and Connecticut also will see significant increases in employment.

If you’re currently a job seeker in the Houston area, make sure you’re prepared for any potential employer to check out your Texas records (Click here) before being hired.

One polymers company is working to create more Houston jobs.

Invista recently announced its plans to create 100 jobs during the next six years at the company’s offices and manufacturing facilities in the Houston area. The Kansas-based company manufactures polymers and fibers for nylon, spandex, and polyester applications.

The new employees are needed as Invista improves its facilities as part of a long-term investment. The company plans to invest capital in improving safety, environmental projects, efficiency, and infrastructure at all of its sites across Texas.

The company is looking to hire:

• Project engineers
• Project estimators
• Project schedulers
• Chemical engineers
• Mechanical engineers
• Civil engineers
• Reliability engineers
• Instrument and controls engineers
• Maintenance and production technicians

“We’re making a major capital investment in Texas and we need these new employees to support the projects we are undertaking for that investment,” Amy Hodges, regional public affairs manager for Invista, said in a press release.

Invista currently employs about 2,000 people in Texas. The company has manufacturing facilities in La Porte, Victoria, and Orange. Invista also has two offices in Houston for engineering; project management; environmental, health, and safety; and other staff functions.

Hundreds of workers who will be without Houston jobs after NASA discontinues a popular program are getting some help.

The Gulf Coast Workforce Development Board recently announced that it will receive up to $5.4 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Labor to help workers effected by NASA layoffs find new jobs. Only $2.2 million will be released initially, with additional funds available if needed.

The funding will provide career counseling, skills assessments, and occupational skills training for the roughly 600 workers who will soon lose their jobs when NASA retires its space shuttle program. The majority of those workers are contractors at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Funding also will be provided to help employees of Barrios Technology, Boeing, Cimmaron, Fluor, Hamilton Sunstrand, Jacobs/IESCG, Lockheed Martin, Oceaneering Space Systems, REDE/Critique, NSS, SAIC, SGT, and United Space Alliance.

“Today’s grant will give the talented and high-skilled workers of Texas the opportunity to find new jobs in expanding sectors of the state’s economy,” Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said. “Our goal is to provide the necessary tools for these workers to identify and prepare for other career opportunities that will place them in new and permanent jobs.”

NASA announced earlier this year that it will retire its space shuttle program by the end of 2010. The program will be replaced with a new crew exploration vehicle in an effort to support exploration of the Earth’s moon and other destinations.

One organization is providing funding that will help four local companies develop new technologies and support Houston jobs. Visit http://houston.jobing.com/jobs to learn more.

The Texas Emerging Technology Fund recently announced its plans to invest in four Houston area companies in order to support the development and commercialization of their innovative technologies, which will in turn support local Houston jobs.

“Texas is the best state in the nation for developing ground breaking technologies thanks to investments from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, which has fostered an environment of innovation that attracts companies and top researchers to our state,” Gov. Rick Perry said. “These four TETF investments will help develop these cutting edge technologies in fields ranging from biomedical engineering to electronics.”

The companies slated to receive funding from the TETF include:

• Leonardo BioSystems Inc. – The company will get $2.5 million to develop a cancer treatment that will eventually allow for the development and use of more powerful and effective chemotherapy drugs that are safe for humans and have fewer side effects. Leonardo is partnering with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston for the technology.
• Ensysce Biosciences Inc. – The company will receive $250,000 to develop a carbon nanotube technology that delivers cancer therapeutics to patients. Ensysce is working with Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop the technology.
• N3D Biosciences Inc. – The company will get $250,000 to commercialize its 3D in vitro cell culturing, which will help with life science research and development, as well as drug discovery, toxicology and regenerative medicine. Nano3D is partnering with Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to further the technology.
• Veros Systems Inc. – The company will receive $250,000 to develop and launch its Smart Electrical Interface technology, which constantly monitors and assesses industrial machines in order to identify problems. Veros is working with Texas A&M University to develop the technology.

Since its creation in 2005, the TETF has allocated more than $141.75 million to 109 early stage companies, and $153 million in grant matching and research superiority funds to universities throughout Texas.

Many officials are reporting that the economy is beginning to stabilize, and now a local economist is predicting that most of the key sectors will gain Houston jobs by the fall of 2010.

Barton Smith, director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston, has said that he thinks “the worst is behind us.” He predicts that Houston will lose about 13,000 jobs, or .5 percent of its workers, during 2010. However, he said, those job losses will take place at the beginning of the year and the city will begin to gain jobs by the end of the year.

Not all industries will see an increase in employment, though, as Smith predicts that the construction, manufacturing and finance industries will continue to struggle during 2010.

Overall, Smith predicts that 62,000 Houston jobs will be lost by the end of this year, which would be a 2.5 percent decrease in employment when compared to 2008. During 2008, Smith said the best case scenario would be if Houston lost 11,000 jobs, but it was much more likely the city would lose 37,500 jobs.

Part of the problem in Houston, according to several officials, is the state of natural gas, which has decreased in price to below $3. In addition to low prices, there currently seems to be a low demand and high inventories of heating when it comes to natural gas.

Local labor market statistics show that Houston’s economy is having some trouble rebounding. Even though the city added jobs during September – the latest month for which labor data is available – the local unemployment rate continued to increase.

During September, the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area saw its unemployment rate increase from 8.4 percent to 8.5 percent. However, the city’s current rate was still lower than the national unemployment rate at the time of 9.8 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 2,516,600 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 2,510,400 workers during August, but a 3 percent decrease from last year.