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 the fifth consecutive month of growth in upstream employment in Texas in the month of October 2024. According to TIPRO’s analysis, direct Texas upstream employment for October totaled 196,100, an increase of 1,400 industry jobs from revised September employment numbers. All gains in upstream employment occurred in the services sector last month, while oil and gas extraction jobs remained unchanged.
TIPRO’s new workforce data yet again indicated strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry. According to the association, there were 11,703 active unique jobs postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry last month, including 4,678 new postings. In comparison, the state of California had 3,619 unique job postings in October, followed by New York (2,435), Florida (2,064), Pennsylvania (1,612) and Oklahoma (1,521). TIPRO reported a total of 56,043 unique job postings nationwide last month within the oil and natural gas sector.
Among the 19 specific industry sectors TIPRO uses to define the Texas oil and natural gas industry, Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores led in the ranking for unique job listings in October with 2,700 postings, followed by Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (2,644) and Crude Petroleum Extraction (917). The leading three cities by total unique oil and natural gas job postings were Houston (3,059), Midland (837) and Odessa (421), said TIPRO.
The top three companies ranked by unique job postings in October were Cefco (1,120), Love’s (651) and John Wood Group (401), according to the association. Of the top ten companies listed by unique job postings last month, four companies were in the services sector, two in the gasoline stations with convenience stores category, two midstream companies, one upstream company and one in the downstream sector. Top posted industry occupations for October included first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (627), general maintenance and repair workers (402) and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (305). The top posted job titles for October included assistant store managers (228), customer service representatives (202) and maintenance people (141).
Top qualifications for unique job postings included Valid Driver’s License (2,054), Commercial Driver's License (CDL) (276) and Transportation Worker Identification Credential Card (214). TIPRO reports that 39 percent of unique job postings had no education requirement listed, 34 percent required a bachelor’s degree and 27 percent required a high school diploma or GED. There were 2,220 advertised salary observations (19 percent of the 11,703 matching postings) with a median salary of $62,600. The highest percentage of advertised salaries (21 percent) were in the $100,000 to $519,000 range.
Additional TIPRO workforce trends data:
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A sample of industry job postings in Texas for October 2024 can be viewed here.
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Additionally, tax contributions from the Texas oil and gas industry last month continued to provide essential funding for government coffers, noted TIPRO. In October, Texas producers paid $436 million in oil production taxes, according to recent data released by the Texas comptroller’s office. Energy producers last month also paid a total of $182 million to the state in natural gas production taxes. Production taxes paid by the oil and natural gas industry are used to support major revenue streams for the state, including public education funding, the State Highway Fund, the Rainy Day Fund and other vital parts of the state budget.
TIPROalso highlights new production forecasts showing more growth in domestic crude oil and natural gas output in the upcoming year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its NovemberShort-Term Energy Outlook projects U.S. crude oil production will rise to 13.53million barrels per day (b/d) in 2025, a record high, while marketed natural gas production in the U.S. is expected to increase to an average of 114 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) next year, an increase of 1 percent from this year’s annual average, led by a 6 percent increase in production in the Permian Basin and a 5 percent increase in the Eagle Ford Shale compared with 2024.
“Given the outcome of the elections, TIPRO looks forward to working with the new administration, incumbents and newly elected officials at the state level in Texas to reinforce the importance of domestic oil and natural gas production,” said Ed Longanecker, president of TIPRO. “While it may be a lengthy process, we look forward to returning to some level of normalcy from an energy regulatory standpoint, which will bring tremendous benefit to our state, country and industry,” added Longanecker.
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