Despite a slight decline of 117 jobs in the U.S. oil field services and equipment sector, employment in the industry has remained steady as the labor market and overall economy continue to slow down. According to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and analysis by the Energy Workforce & Technology Council (Energy Workforce), the sector still maintains over 665,000 jobs, totaling 665,016. This figure reflects a slight adjustment to June’s numbers, which were initially reported as 665,258 but were revised to 665,133 by the BLS.
While employment across the sector remains stable, it is still below the pre-pandemic level of 706,528 jobs recorded in February 2020.
In contrast to the oil field services and equipment sector, the overall U.S. job growth appears to be cooling down. Employers added 187,000 jobs in July, slightly higher than June’s revised number of 185,000 but less than expected. The overall participation rate in the labor market was 62.6%, slightly lower than historical averages of 62.84%, and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% from 3.6% in June.
Molly Determan, President of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, encouraged job seekers to explore opportunities in the energy services and technology sector. She highlighted the industry’s role in developing and deploying new emissions-reducing technology and revolutionizing the world’s energy supply with reliable and affordable energy solutions.
The state-by-state breakdown of employment in the sector is as follows:
- Texas (TX) – 324,062 jobs
- Louisiana (LA) – 55,529 jobs
- Oklahoma (OK) – 50,608 jobs
- Colorado (CO) – 27,000 jobs
- New Mexico (NM) – 24,872 jobs
- California (CA) – 24,340 jobs
- Pennsylvania (PA) – 24,074 jobs
- North Dakota (ND) – 20,682 jobs
- Wyoming (WY) – 15,428 jobs
- Ohio (OH) – 11,039 jobs
- Alaska (AK) – 10,308 jobs
- West Virginia (WV) – 10,175 jobs
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council represents the global energy technology and services sector and encompasses over 665,000 U.S. jobs in various energy-related fields. Member companies are involved in energy equipment manufacturing, drilling, well completions, well services, pressure pumping, renewable energy technology, geothermal development, and more.
