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Upstream Employment Increases and Demand Remains Strong for Oil and Gas Talent

15 Sep 2023 10:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

Austin, Texas - Citing the latest Current Employment Statistics (CES) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) today highlighted new employment figures showing an increase in upstream employment for the month of August. According to TIPRO’s analysis, direct Texas upstream employment for August 2023 totaled 208,500, an increase of 1,200 jobs from July employment numbers. Texas upstream employment in August 2023 represented the addition of 18,200 positions compared to August 2022, including an increase of 2,300 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction and 15,900 jobs in the services sector.

TIPRO’s new employment data yet again indicated strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry during the month of August. According to the association, there were 11,951 active unique jobs postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry in August, including 4,409 new job postings added during the month by companies. In comparison, the state of California had 3,641 unique job postings last month, followed by Louisiana (1,790), Oklahoma (1,609) and Pennsylvania (1,364). TIPRO reported a total of 53,810 unique job postings nationwide last month within the oil and natural gas sector. 

Among the 17 specific industry sectors TIPRO uses to define the Texas oil and natural gas industry, Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations led in the rankings for unique job listings in August with 2,700 postings, followed by Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (2,135) and Crude Petroleum Extraction (1,333). The leading three cities by total unique oil and natural gas job postings were Houston (3,935), Midland (1,012) and Odessa (556), said TIPRO. 

The top three companies ranked by unique job postings in August were Cefco (933), John Wood Group (543) and Love’s (406), according to TIPRO. Of the top ten companies listed by unique job postings last month, four companies were in the services sector, followed by two midstream companies, two in the gasoline stations category with convenience stores, one in oil and natural gas extraction and one in petroleum refineries. Top posted industry occupations for August included first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (612), maintenance and repair workers (544) and heavy tractor-trailer truck drivers (343). The top posted job titles for August included customer service representatives (193), store managers (192) and field service technicians (120).

Top qualifications for unique job postings included valid driver’s license (2,125), commercial driver's license (CDL) (236) and transportation worker identification credential (TWIC) card (185). TIPRO reports that 39 percent of unique job postings required a bachelor’s degree, 33 percent had no education requirement listed and 30 percent required a high school diploma or GED. There are 1,424 advertised salary observations (12 percent of the 11,951 matching postings) with a median salary of $52,600. The highest percentage of advertised salaries (26 percent) were in the $85,000 to $324,000 range.

Additional TIPRO workforce trends data:

  • A sample of 500 industry job postings in Texas for August 2023 can be viewed here.
  • The top three posting sources in August included www.indeed.com (5,060), www.simplyhired.com (2,513) and www.dejobs.org (1,570).
  • Average annual wages for the Texas oil and natural gas industry can be viewed here.
  • Leading industry positions in Texas with median hourly earnings, education, work experience and typical on-the-job training is available here.
TIPRO also highlights recent data released from the Texas comptroller’s office showing tax contributions by the Texas oil and natural gas industry for the month of August. Texas energy producers last month paid $501 million in oil production taxes, up from the prior month, and also contributed $137 million in natural gas production taxes, also higher than totals collected in July. Overall, tax receipts from the sector are down from earlier this year, due to a slowdown in drilling activity in some of the state’s top oil and natural gas basins. Still, oil and natural gas severance taxes remain an important source of revenue for state and local governments and continue to be used help to support and pay for road and infrastructure investments, water conservation projects, schools and education, first responders and other essential public services across the Lone Star State. 

“Despite economic headwinds from high inflation, aggressive monetary policy and continued efforts from Washington D.C. to target domestic oil and gas production, the upstream sector in Texas thankfully remains strong,” said Ed Longanecker, president of TIPRO. “Policies designed to slow exploration and production activity do nothing to impact growing demand, but can directly affect investment and supply, further exacerbating the economic strain being felt by all Americans. We need collaboration, not politics, to develop a cohesive and sensible strategy that recognizes the critical importance of oil and gas and much needed investment in energy infrastructure,” concluded Longanecker.  

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