CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — According to the Texas Workforce Commission, employment in the upstream sector of the Texas oil and gas industry grew by 4,500 jobs in March.
Upstream jobs are careers in the oil and gas industry. That's the highest single month growth in upstream jobs since June 2011.
"Thanks to oil prices remaining relatively solid, the Permian Basin, the Eagle Ford, Texas as a whole has grown on that basis," Dean Foreman, the chief economist for the Texas Oil and Gas Association said. "The natural gas side of it has seen more of a rollercoaster because the prices have been historically low this year."
Demand for natural gas set records in December, and according to research from TXOGA, demand is expected to set more records this year and again in 2025.
Foreman said since the demand for oil has remained strong and is continuing to grow, more upstream jobs are coming.
"As long as the oil markets continue to be in strong demand and the exports are growing," he said. "It's clear that there's a strong international need for it. We're seeing a lot of vibrancy come to Texas as a result."
"We have about 12,000 people currently employed in the oil and gas industry right here in the Coastal Bend," President and CEO of Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend Ken Trevino said.
Wages for those jobs increased by 3.6 percent this year over last.
Trevino said we will need a lot more skilled workers for the oil patch.
"The average salary is over $120,000 in this field," Trevino said. "Interestingly though, there are about 3,500 people within that 12,000 range that are going to be eligible for retirement in the next five years."
He said training is available in the Coastal Bend for these jobs and young people interested in a career in the oil and gas sector should contact Workforce Solutions.
"The continued strong relationship that we've seen since the pandemic in oil and natural gas demand, with economic growth, it just remains so intertwined that we see a bright future for Texas," Foreman said.