Energy jobs lost to the pandemic continue to slowly be recovered.
The Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association has released a report showing the upstream sector of the energy showed a net increase of nearly 8,800 direct jobs in the first half of the year compared to the first half of 2020 for a total of 168,000 jobs in the Lone Star State.
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council reported that the energy technology and services sector added an estimated 8,002 jobs in June for a fourth consecutive month of growth.
Citing preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the council said the sector has added nearly 24,000 jobs over the last three months for a 1.3 percent growth rate. Gains over the past four months bring the sector to a net increase of 9,043 jobs this year. Still, the council said employment in the sector is down 11.8 percent since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
TIPRO President Ed Longanecker told the Reporter-Telegram by email that “While the oil and natural gas services sector accounted for a higher number of upstream employment gains in Texas during the first half of year, we are also seeing an uptick in crude petroleum extraction positions. In fact, this sector had the second highest number of unique job postings in the second quarter of this year. We should also remember that operators have become very efficient during periods of extreme market volatility, doing more with less personnel.”
The energy industry, as defined by TIPRO, is currently hiring across a broad spectrum of occupations in Texas, including Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Industrial Engineers, Computer User Support Specialists, Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, and Mechanical Engineers, all of which rank in the top 10 by unique job postings in the second quarter. In the Texas upstream sector, Crude Petroleum Extraction had the highest number of unique job postings (2,358), followed by Drilling Oil and Gas Wells (1,318), Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (989), and Natural Gas Extraction (43).
Midland reported 993 total unique oil and natural gas job postings, second to Houston’s 3,455 and ahead of Odessa’s 663.
The energy technology and services sector had hit a pandemic low of 591,413 jobs in February. The Energy Workforce and Technology Council’s monthly employment report estimates a peak of nearly 102,000 jobs lost to the pandemic, with losses heaviest in April 2020 when the sector shed 57,294 jobs, the largest one-month total since at least 2013.
Since then, the sector has restored approximately 18,600 jobs, bringing total pandemic employment losses to 83,119 jobs and more than $9.4 billion in annualized lost wages compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Below are the top states for employment in the energy technology and services sector, and estimated job gains in June 2021 compared to the same month in 2020, according to BLS data:
Texas - 303,100, +4,400 jobs
Louisiana - 52,100, +745
Oklahoma - 47,400, +679
Colorado - 25,300, +362
New Mexico - 23,300, +334
California - 22,800, +327
Pennsylvania - 22,600, +323
North Dakota - 19,400, +278
Wyoming - 14,500, +207
Ohio - 10,300, +148
Alaska - 9,700, +138
West Virginia - 9,500, +137
“It’s likely employment in the sector will continue to rise, but major increases in jobs will likely be connected to production levels,” Leslie Beyer, chief executive officer of the council, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. “In addition, the pandemic intensified longer-term trends towards digitalization, machine learning and automation in the field, which will change some of the roles needed.”
She added that government policies that complicate oil and gas exploration domestically may slow job growth in the sector. Beyer noted that federal policies like the current leasing moratorium on federal lands have slowed new investment in areas such as New Mexico and Colorado. But, she said, job growth could be aided by federal support for LNG exports, which could help increase drilling activity in the United States.
“Rig counts have been inching up and demand is rising as the economy emerges from the pandemic. So far, the focus has been more on drilled but uncompleted sites rather than new drilling, which could change as demand climbs and new production is needed,” Beyer said in her email.
Longanecker joined Beyer in a somewhat positive outlook while acknowledging continued uncertainty stemming from the pandemic.
“We may see a temporary slowdown in our recovery due to concerns over COVID-19 Delta variant, including some travel restrictions, but we still face a supply deficit,” said Longanecker. “The market can also absorb the additional 400,000 barrel output from OPEC and its allies, while domestic producers remain disciplined in their production goals. We may not see $100 oil anytime soon, but I remain bullish in the long-term.”
Looking ahead, Beyer said many service companies have been investing in carbon capture, hydrogen, geothermal, and various aspects of the renewables sector such as offshore wind and producing critical minerals.
“That said, oil and gas will be part of the energy mix for many years to come. The companies we represent have the background, experience and manufacturing capability to deliver new technologies at commercial scale around the world. As new technologies become commercially viable, we expect our companies to lead the way,” she concluded.
The council is not only encouraging member companies to diversify their business models but is working with federal, state and local policymakers to support energy production of all kinds in the United States.
"industry" - Google News
July 24, 2021 at 10:04PM
https://ift.tt/3x9dgGk
Energy industry employment continues to grow slowly - Midland Reporter-Telegram
"industry" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2RrQtUH
https://ift.tt/2zJ3SAW
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Energy industry employment continues to grow slowly - Midland Reporter-Telegram"
Post a Comment