March 30, 2021
AUSTIN – The upstream sector of the Texas oil and natural gas industry added 2,300 jobs in February, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission. The sector has added 7,400 jobs since the low point in September 2020, bringing the total upstream employment in Texas to 164,900 jobs – jobs that pay among the highest wages in Texas.
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.
“The resilience and reliability of the Texas oil and natural gas industry is remarkable and it is the reason this industry will be essential to the energy mix for decades to come,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association. “Oil and natural gas are irreplaceable and quite literally power modern life, providing affordable, reliable electricity, transportation fuels of all kinds, and the building blocks of 96% of the products we use every day. Every Texan should be encouraged that jobs in this vital sector are returning after a difficult season.”
Oil and natural gas extraction is upstream activity, meaning that it excludes other sectors in the industry such as refining, petrochemicals, fuels wholesaling, oilfield equipment manufacturing, pipelines, and gas utilities. The employment shown also includes “Support Activities for Mining,” which is mostly oil and gas-related but includes some small amount of other types of mining, also.
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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.