AUSTIN – Data released by the Texas Workforce Commission indicates that upstream oil and gas employment in Texas is experiencing continued growth, with the sector adding 2,600 jobs in November. Also notably, the job gain for October was revised upward to 3,100 from the original estimate of 2,800.
“Texas oil and natural gas producers adding jobs while continuing to help to meet our energy needs is a testament to the ingenuity, determination, and resiliency of this industry which fuels our modern way of life,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association. “Texans value the indispensable role that the oil and natural gas industry plays in our state’s economy, our budget and our communities.”
Since the COVID-low point in September of 2020, months of increase in upstream oil and gas employment in Texas have outnumbered months of decrease by 23 to 3. In that time, industry has added 52,900 Texas upstream jobs, an average growth of 2,035 jobs a month. These jobs pay among the highest wages in Texas, with employers in oil and natural gas paying an average salary of approximately $109,000 in 2021.
The upstream sector involves oil and natural gas extraction and excludes other industry sectors such as refining, petrochemicals, fuels wholesaling, oilfield equipment manufacturing, pipelines, and gas utilities, which support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs in Texas. The employment shown also includes “Support Activities for Mining,” which is mostly oil and gas-related but also includes some small amount of other types of mining.
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Founded in 1919, TXOGA is the oldest and largest oil and gas trade association in Texas representing every facet of the industry.