Data from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) showed that upstream oil and natural gas employment in the state increased by 6,900 jobs in May, the highest month on record for a job growth in the 33 years of data available on the TWC website, the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) highlighted.
The addition of those jobs in May brings the total oil and natural gas job count in Texas to over 200,000 for the first time in more than three years, TXOGA noted. Single month-to-month data points typically reflect labor market variations that are analyzed over longer periods, such as three to six months, TXOGA added in its commentary on the figures.
“Texas remains a manufacturing powerhouse, and all sectors of our economy are benefiting from robust activity,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association.
“These figures reported for May are the highest in decades and push upstream employment numbers past the 200,000 mark for the first time since 2020. Despite slowing rig counts and concerns about the global economy , the world continues to depend on the enormous resources produced every day by men and women dedicated to the oil zone,” he added.
Since the Covid low point in September 2020, the industry has added 49,000 jobs upstream from Texas, TXOGA noted. Up 206,000 jobs from the same month a year earlier, May 2023 jobs rose by 22,700, or 12.4 percent, from May 2022, the organization, adding that months with increased oil and natural gas employment have increased. months exceeded in number with a decrease from 28 to 4.
Oil and natural gas jobs pay among the highest wages in Texas, with oil and natural gas employers paying a median salary of approximately $115,000 in 2022, TXOGA noted.
The Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) previously noted that there were 13,779 active unique job openings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry in May, including 4,366 new job openings added during the month by companies
By comparison, the state of California had 5,100 unique job openings last month, followed by Louisiana (2,390), Oklahoma (2,037) and Pennsylvania (1,649), TIPRO revealed.
To contact the author, please email andreson.n.paul@gmail.com
