March was a very healthy month for oilfield hiring in Texas and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and Texas Oil & Gas Association say it bodes well for the future.
“The oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin both in Texas and New Mexico continues to set new highs whether that be through production and emissions reductions or through employment,” PBPA President Ben Shepperd said. “I am so proud to be part of and to get to represent an industry that improves people’s lives directly and indirectly around the world.”
TXOGA President Todd Staples said March’s growth of 4,500 upstream exploration and production jobs as reported by the Texas Workforce Commission was the biggest since June 2011.
Since the COVID low point in September 2020, Staples said, months of increase in upstream oil and gas employment in Texas have outnumbered months of decrease by 33 to 9.
“In that time the industry has added 39,500 Texas upstream jobs for an average growth of 940 jobs a month,” he said. “March’s historic increase is a result of this industry’s commitment to ensuring that American energy leadership’s home base continues to be here in the Lone Star State.
“These job gains mean economic growth for Texas communities and families, energy security for the United States and much-needed stability for our trading partners around the globe. Texas employers in oil and natural gas paid an average salary of over $124,000 in 2023.”
