U.S. Department of Labor said recently average hourly earnings for front-line oil and gas workers rose 0.7 percent in April from the previous month to $43.28 to climb above $43 an hour for the first time. Compared to a year ago, pay is up 12 percent. Bloomberg reported June 2, “The relative strength in shale employment data bucked an overall national trend in the economy that saw the jobless rate jump and paycheck growth ease… Rising wages indicate that U.S. oil companies aren’t shedding workers as the price of crude is down by more than a third from a year ago, but rather maintaining their push for slow, steady growth. Explorers seem less concerned with level of wages and more about simply having enough workers at the job site to maintain a consistent drilling program.”