The workforce you’ll hire from in 2030 is being decided right now in Austin.

Texas is at a crossroads. Employers compete for talent against nearly 1.7 million openings a year — and AI is accelerating what those jobs require. Businesses don’t just need workers ready to work; they need workers who make them better and stronger. TBEA puts you in the room, with the data, access, and coordination to shape it.

1.7 million

Job openings in Texas each year

For your business: every unfilled skilled role means lost output, overtime, and schedule risk; this is the market you hire in.

60%

Of new jobs require postsecondary education or training

For your business: the majority of your future roles can’t be filled from today’s talent supply without intervention.

1 in 3

High school graduates reach that credential within six years

For your business: two of every three young Texans age out of your hiring pool before they qualify.

Not Another Association

A litmus test approach

Does this policy produce a measurable, positive outcome for the Texas economy, job creation, or workforce readiness? If not, TBEA doesn’t touch it.

That discipline is why TBEA’s voice carries at the Capitol and why your membership isn’t diluted across an unfocused agenda.


Priorities stay concentrated in three areas:

  • Economic impact of education on the Texas economy
  • Job creation and the role of a skilled workforce in attracting and keeping employers
  • Workforce readiness and the pipeline from Texas schools to Texas businesses

Every issue is backed by economists, workforce researchers, and third-party data; translated into economic terms, not talking points.

Business leaders influence, multiplied.

Legislators listen to the employers who create jobs in their districts. TBEA brings the structure, the data, and the coordination — business leaders bring the influence.

  • Shape the agenda — direct input into the legislative priorities TBEA advances
  • Walk in prepared — talking points and issue summaries written for business leaders
  • Be in the room — coordinated access to legislators at the moments that matter

Strong Businesses. Strong Schools. Strong Texas.