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 a decline in Texas upstream employment following four months of consecutive growth. According to TIPRO’s analysis, direct Texas upstream employment for July 2023 totaled 206,600, a decrease of 2,100 jobs from adjusted June employment numbers. Texas upstream employment in July 2023 represented the addition of 18,600 positions compared to July 2022, including an increase of 2,800 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction and 15,800 jobs in the services sector.

“Given historical hiring trends and adjustments made in CES data in subsequent months, it is not uncommon to see fluctuations in employment numbers throughout the year,” said Ed Longanecker, president of TIPRO. “Absent any major economic factors affecting supply and demand, these variations are often anonymous, especially considering the number of open positions currently available in the Texas oil and natural gas industry. We expect continued growth in Texas upstream employment in the second half of the year,” added Longanecker.

TIPRO’s new employment data yet again indicated strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry during the month of July. According to the association, there were 13,557 active unique jobs postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry in July, including 5,095 new job postings added during the month by companies. In comparison, the state of California had 4,365 unique job postings last month, followed by Louisiana (2,224), Oklahoma (1,905) and Pennsylvania (1,687). TIPRO reported a total of 62,318 unique job postings nationwide last month within the oil and natural gas sector. 

Among the 17 specific industry sectors TIPRO uses to define the Texas oil and natural gas industry, Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations led in the rankings for unique job listings in July with 3,217 postings, followed by Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (2,065) and Crude Petroleum Extraction (1,543). The leading three cities by total unique oil and natural gas job postings were Houston (4,737), Midland (1,132) and Odessa (622), said TIPRO. 

The leading three companies ranked by unique job postings in July were Cefco (752), John Wood Group (738) and Halliburton (447), according to TIPRO. Of the top ten companies listed by unique job postings last month, four companies were in the services sector, followed by two midstream companies, two in the gasoline stations category with convenience stores, and two in oil and natural gas extraction. Top posted industry occupations for July included maintenance and repair workers (563), first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (534) and heavy tractor-trailer truck drivers (434). The top posted job titles for July included store managers (180), customer service representatives (129) and field service technicians (124).

Top qualifications for unique job postings included valid driver’s license (2,324), commercial driver's license (CDL) (347), and CDL class a license (218). TIPRO reports that 40 percent of unique job postings required a bachelor’s degree, 31 percent required a high school diploma or GED, and 30 percent had no education requirement listed. There are 1,410 advertised salary observations (10 percent of the 13,557 matching postings) with a median salary of $50,000. The highest percentage of advertised salaries (27 percent) were in the $75,000 to $250,000 range.

Additional TIPRO workforce trends data:

• A sample of 500 industry job postings in Texas for July 2023 can be viewed here.
• The top three posting sources in June included indeed.com (5,326), simplyhired.com (3,144) and dejobs.org (1,941).
• Average annual wages for the Texas oil and natural gas industry can be viewed here.
• Leading industry positions in Texas with median hourly earnings, education, work experience and typical on-the-job training is available here.

TIPRO also highlights recent data released from the Texas comptroller’s office showing tax contributions by the Texas oil and natural gas industry for the month of July. Texas energy producers last month paid $437 million in oil production taxes and also contributed $65 million in natural gas production taxes. Tax receipts from the sector are down from earlier this year, due to a slowdown in drilling activity in some of the state’s oil and natural gas basins. Still, oil and natural gas severance taxes remain an important source of revenue for state and local governments and continue to be used help to support and pay for road and infrastructure investments, water conservation projects, schools and education, first responders and other essential public services across the Lone Star State.  

Furthermore, TIPRO reports that oil and natural gas output from Texas and the United States will remain strong in the coming months, though is forecasted to decline in September. New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects U.S. crude oil production will total 9.41 million barrels per day (b/d) next month, a drop of 20,000 b/d from revised August output amounting to 9.435 million b/d. In the Permian Basin, the most nation's most prolific shale oil basin, regional oil output is expected to fall by around 13,000 b/d to 5.8 million b/d in September, estimates EIA experts, after reaching 5.812 million b/d in August. Oil production in the Eagle Ford region in South Texas meanwhile will fall next month by 11,000 b/d to 1.11 million b/d. Domestic natural gas production in the United States also is expected to decrease in September by around 147 million cubic feet per day to 98.262 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d), according to the latest EIA estimates. Despite the overall decline in natural gas production in the United States, the Permian Basin is still slated to see natural gas output increase to 23.667 bcf/d, with the highest growth in production of natural gas anywhere in the country. Natural gas production in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville formations, however, will go down in September.

“Oil and natural gas are the most consequential products on the planet that fuel modern societies, drive economic growth and fortify our nation’s energy security” emphasized Longanecker. “We are incredibly proud to support the hardworking men and women in the Texas oil and natural gas industry that power our homes, transportation and afford us the conveniences, products, and protections that we all value and utilize in our daily lives. With energy demand projected to reach new records in the years ahead, our industry will continue to play a dominant role in supporting our country, allies, trade partners and developing nations around the world, with Texas leading the way,” concluded Longanecker. 

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