One tech giant is opening its first office in Houston as another plans a massive expansion in the region.  Construction is now underway in Richmond on an 850,000-square-foot fulfillment center for Amazon. The e-commerce company’s state-of-the-art facility is set to open in 2021 and will employ approximately 1,000 full-time workers, Amazon said this week. The center is one of the company’s next wave of facilities where employees work alongside Amazon robotics to pick, pack and ship small items for customers such as books, electronics and toys.  “We’re delighted to continue our growth and investment in Texas, with our new fulfillment center in Richmond,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment.  Fort Bend County Judge, KP George said he’s proud that Amazon chose Fort Bend for this major investment. “The Fort Bend fulfillment center will generate 1,000 high-quality jobs for our community, adding tremendous value to our commercial sector. The Fort Bend Economic Development Council and the County have worked diligently with Amazon to successfully implement this major project.” The Partnership has been working with Amazon in an effort to increase the company’s investment in this region. “We are proud to support Amazon’s most recent expansion to Houston, which further positions the region as a global logistics and distribution hub,” said Susan Davenport, Chief Economic Development Officer for the Partnership. “The Greater Houston region provides unparalleled access to consumers and end users and Houston’s strong technical and skilled talent is prepared to meet the needs of this state-of-the-art facility.” Google Inc. also announced this week it will open its first Houston office at One Buffalo Heights on Washington Avenue. The roughly 12,000-square-foot office, which will house Google’s regional Cloud Enterprise Sales Team, is slated to open early next year.   "Houston is a hub for innovation and technology and the digital universe. Google's decision to establish an office here provides further momentum as we build the Silicon Bayou," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. The Partnership has also worked alongside Mayor Turner, Houston Exponential and other groups in recent years to recruit Google to Houston. “Houston is an innovation city and our key industries like energy, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, in particular, are ripe for digital disruption. Houston is a logical destination for Google’s next office,” Davenport said. “The fact that Google is opening their first office in Houston is a testament to the work we have been doing to build out innovation ecosystem. We are hopeful this will lead to increased engagement between Houston companies and Google, which will lead to an increased presence of the company in Houston as they scale their relationships.”  Learn more about Houston's digital technology ecosystem. 

HOUSTON (Dec. 5, 2019) – The Greater Houston Partnership forecasts the Houston metro area will create 42,300 net new jobs in 2020. The health care, government, accommodation & food services and construction sectors are expected to lead employment growth, though losses are anticipated in energy and retail trade.  A downturn that’s already begun in the energy industry is thwarting the broader Houston jobs outlook. Investment in that sector is drying up, resulting in fewer wells being drilled, a drop in the rig count and a decline in new equipment orders. Layoffs have already begun in energy services, with more expected to follow across the industry. Meanwhile, sectors tied to population growth, such as health care, and others linked to the global economy, such as manufacturing and trade, will help ensure Houston stays in positive jobs territory in 2020. “As Houston prepares to enter the 2020s, the region needs a new set of growth engines. Perhaps they will emerge from the Texas Medical Center, the Innovation Corridor, or Houston’s Energy Corridor,” said Patrick Jankowski, Senior Vice President of Research at the Partnership. “Until those new engines emerge, Houston’s growth will depend heavily on the U.S. and global economies. Fortunately, both should perform reasonably well next year.”  This year’s Employment Forecast includes a sector-by-sector look at Houston’s major industries, including their contribution to the region’s GDP, current employment and the forecasted change in jobs in 2020.  The top five industries by percentage of GDP are:  Manufacturing: $83.1 billion or 17% of GDP | Current jobs: 241,000 | 2020 forecast: 1,000 jobs gained  Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: $44.4 billion or 9.1% of GDP | Current jobs: 63,400 | 2020 forecast: 1,200 jobs gained  Energy: $44.3 billion or 9% of GDP | Current jobs: 87,400 | 2020 forecast: 4,000 jobs lost  Wholesale Trade: $42 billion or 8.6% of GDP | Current jobs: 172,000 | 2020 forecast: 1,000 jobs gained  Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: $39.5 billion or 8.1% of GDP | Current jobs: 252,900 | 2020 forecast: 4,700 jobs gained  Jankowski said an oversaturated real estate market and a bleak outlook for oil and gas paint a current picture similar to what Houston faced after the 1980s oil bust. But he said it’s important to remember that since that downturn, the region has added 3.4 million residents and 1.5 million jobs, making the economy far more resilient. As of October 2019, Houston’s employment stood at 3.2 million, a record high for the region.  Click here to see the full report, including additional jobs figures by industry. For a look back at the economy in 2019 by industry, click here for the Houston Economic Highlights report. The mission of the Partnership is to make Houston one of the world’s best places to live, work and build a business. To that end, the Partnership provides this forecast to help the Houston business community and those involved in economic development in the region understand trends influencing the region’s economy and driving industry gains or losses. The forecast is designed to help businesses make better investment, staffing and purchase decisions in the coming year. CONTACT:     A.J. Mistretta                    Maggie Martin  (o) 713-844-3664             (o) 713-844-3640 amistretta@houston.org  mmartin@houston.org