USA Oil, Gas Workforce Figures Buck Trend

The number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry rose month on month, bucking a trend, data on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website showed.

According to preliminary figures included in the BLS data page, the number of employees in the sector stood at 114,700 in July and 114,900 in August. The BLS data page, which displayed figures from January 2016 to August 2026, showed that, prior to the 2026 figures, the number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry had increased from July to August in only three of the last 10 years.

These figures increased from 144,000 to 144,400 from July to August 2019, from 111,300 to 111,500 from July to August 2021, and from 118,100 to 119,200 from July to August 2023, the data showed. They decreased from 166,800 to 164,400 from July to August 2016, from 142,800 to 142,000 from July to August 2017, from 143,700 to 142,800 from July to August 2018, from 127,300 to 126,400 from July to August 2020, from 122,600 to 115,200 from July to August 2022, from 121,700 to 120,900 from July to August 2024, and from 117,200 to 115,900 from July to August 2025, the data revealed.

The number of employees in the oil and gas extraction sector has declined from August to September in four of the last 10 years, increased from August to September in four of the last 10 years, and stayed the same from August to September in two of the last 10 years, with those coming in 2025 and 2024, the BLS data page showed.

These figures decreased from 164,400 to 160,800 from August to September 2016, from 142,800 to 141,400 from August to September 2018, from 144,400 to 144,000 from August to September 2019, and from 111,500 to 111,400 from August to September 2021, the data showed. They increased from 142,000 to 143,600 from August to September 2017, from 126,400 to 126,800 from August to September 2020, from 115,200 to 115,300 from August to September 2022, and from 119,200 to 119,600 from August to September 2023, according to the data page, which outlined that these figures stayed at 120,900 from August to September 2024 and at 115,900 from August to September 2025. 

The lowest August and September figures were both seen in 2021, at 111,500 and 111,400, respectively, and the highest August and September figures were both seen in 2016, at 164,400 and 160,800, respectively, the data showed.

The lowest 2026 figure was seen in July, at 114,700, preliminary data on the BLS page outlined. The highest figure this year was seen in February, at 116,200, the page revealed.

According to the BLS data page, the highest figure in the entire data set was seen in January 2016, at 187,300 and the lowest figure, 110,900, was seen in November 2021 and January 2022.

The BLS data is taken from the national Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, the data page outlined. The CES program produces detailed industry estimates of nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings of workers on payrolls, the BLS site states, adding that CES National Estimates produces data for the nation and CES State and Metro Area produces estimates for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and about 450 metropolitan areas and divisions.

Each month, CES surveys approximately 119,000 businesses and government agencies, representing approximately 622,000 individual worksites, the BLS site notes.

The oil and gas extraction subsector is part of the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector, the BLS site states. The site highlights that, according to the North American Industry Classification System, “industries in the Oil and Gas Extraction subsector operate and/or develop oil and gas field properties”.

“Such activities may include exploration for crude petroleum and natural gas; drilling, completing, and equipping wells; operating separators, emulsion breakers, desilting equipment, and field gathering lines for crude petroleum and natural gas; and all other activities in the preparation of oil and gas up to the point of shipment from the producing property,” the site adds.

“This subsector includes the production of crude petroleum, the mining and extraction of oil from oil shale and oil sands, and the production of natural gas, sulfur recovery from natural gas, and recovery of hydrocarbon liquids,” it continues.

The BLS describes itself on its website as an agency of the United States Department of Labor.

“It is the principal fact-finding agency in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as part of the U.S. Federal Statistical System,” the site notes.

“BLS collects, calculates, analyzes, and publishes data essential to the public, employers, researchers, and government organizations,” it adds.

In a statement sent to Rigzone last month, the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) said that, although Texas upstream employment declined in July, job postings reflected a “continued demand for talent”.

In this TIPRO statement, which cited the latest CES report from the BLS at the time, TIPRO noted that, according to the industry association, employment in the Texas upstream sector decreased by 1,200 jobs between June and July 2026, “reflecting a decline of 300 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction (62,800) and a decline of 900 service sector jobs (133,000), subject to revisions”.

In the statement, TIPRO went on to point to “continued strength in upstream job postings as a signal that employment growth will resume”. TIPRO highlighted in this statement that its workforce analysis continued to indicate strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry.

A statement posted on TIPRO’s website on July 17, which cited the latest CES report from the BLS at the time, outlined that, according to TIPRO, employment in the Texas upstream sector increased by 400 jobs between May and June, “reflecting a decline of 900 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction (61,900) and an increase of 1,300 service sector jobs (135,800), subject to revisions”.

“TIPRO’s workforce analysis continues to indicate strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry,” TIPRO added at the time.

According to TIPRO’s latest state of energy report, which was released in March, the U.S. oil and gas industry employed 2,043,859 professionals in 2025. This represented a net decline of 8,368 direct jobs compared to 2024, “subject to revisions”, TIPRO highlighted in that report. When incorporating direct, indirect, and induced multipliers for employment at the national level, the industry supported 19,282,999 million jobs last year, the report noted, highlighting that there were 373,478 direct U.S. upstream sector jobs in 2025, which it pointed out was a net decline of 9,218 jobs compared to 2024.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2025 United States Energy & Employment Report (USEER), which is the latest USEER, showed that the energy sector employed 8.5 million workers in 2024, “accounting for 5.4 percent of all jobs in the United States”. Energy sector employment increased by over 250,000 from 8.10 million total energy jobs in 2022 to 8.35 million in 2023, the DOE’s 2024 USEER stated.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com