Texas Oil and Gas Association said this week employment in the state’s oil and gas production industry in February increased by about 5,100 jobs – the biggest gain in more than a decade and the second highest in 30 years. The oil and gas production sector employed 181,900 people in Texas in February – up 16 percent from 157,000 in September 2020 (lowest point of the pandemic). The job growth comes as the war in Ukraine intensifies, disrupting oil and gas supplies from Russia and driving up oil prices. Association president Todd Staples said, “A year ago many people were questioning the future of oil and natural gas. Today people are questioning if they have a future without it. Our nation has an opportunity to reshape American energy policy that recognizes oil and natural gas as an asset rather than a liability.”
Texas Workforce Commission said March 25 Texas added nearly 78,000 jobs in February as key industries, including oil and gas, generated strong job growth to recoup losses from the recession of 2020 and 2021. Texas added jobs in 20 of the last 21 months. Houston’s oil and gas industry added 1,700 jobs in February. Houston Chronicle reported, “The industry has been buoyed by a surge in oil prices and profits. Energy companies earned billions of dollars in 2021 and have put more than 84 additional drilling rigs into operations since the end of last year.”