Austin, Texas – Citing the latest Current Employment Statistics (CES) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) today highlighted new employment figures showing an increase in upstream employment in Texas in the month of August. According to TIPRO’s analysis, direct Texas upstream employment for August totaled 205,100, an increase of 200 industry positions from July employment numbers. This represented a decrease of 200 jobs in oil and gas extraction and the addition of 400 jobs in the services sector.
TIPRO’s new workforce data indicated strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry. According to the association, there were 10,154 active unique jobs postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry last month, compared to 8,853 postings in July, and 3,806 new postings, compared to 3,840 in the previous month. In comparison, the state of Pennsylvania had 2,981 unique job postings in August, followed by California (2,563), Ohio (2,322), and Illinois (2,014). TIPRO reported a total of 59,724 unique job postings nationwide last month within the oil and natural gas sector, including 20,165 new postings.
Among the 19 specific industry sectors TIPRO uses to define the Texas oil and natural gas industry, Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations led in the ranking for unique job listings in August with 2,212 postings, followed by Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (1,896), Petroleum Refineries (1,166), and Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas (867). The leading four cities by total unique oil and natural gas job postings were Houston (2,497), Midland (682), Dallas (410) and Odessa (357), said TIPRO.
The top four companies ranked by unique job postings in August were Love’s (752), Murphy USA (395), Energy Transfer (354), and Primoris Service Corporation (244), according to the association. Of the top ten companies listed by unique job postings last month, five companies were in the services sector, two midstream companies, two in the gasoline stations with convenience stores category, and one fully integrated oil and natural gas company. Top posted industry occupations for August included cashiers (440), maintenance and repair workers general (363), and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (300). The top posted job titles for August included cashiers (327), maintenance technicians (133), and team members (119).
Top qualifications for unique job postings in August included valid driver’s license (1,880), commercial driver’s license (CDL) (255), and transportation worker identification credential (TWIC) (205). TIPRO reports that 37 percent of unique job postings had no education requirement listed, 35 percent required a bachelor’s degree and 29 percent required a high school diploma or GED. There were 2,316 advertised salary observations (23 percent of the 10,154 matching postings) with a median salary of $53,400. The highest percentage of advertised salaries (31 percent) were in the $85,000 to $500,000 range.
Additional TIPRO workforce trends data:
-
-A list of unique job postings by state in August can be viewed here.
-
-A sample of industry job postings in Texas for August can be viewed here.
-
-The top three posting sources in August included www.indeed.com (3,388), www.simplyhired.com (2,788) and www.dejobs.org (1,822).
Oil and natural gas tax contributions also remained high last month, notes TIPRO. According to recent data from the Texas comptroller’s office, in August, Texas energy producers paid $445 million in oil production taxes, a six-month high. Further, producers last month also paid $194 million to the state in natural gas production taxes, up 143 percent from August 2024. Revenue that is provided from oil and gas production taxes offers essential funding used to support public services and state programs including Texas’ public schools and universities, roads, first responders and other services.
Moreover, TIPRO spotlights additional data confirming record high crude oil and natural gas production this summer. U.S. crude oil production in June jumped 133,000 barrels per day (bpd), totaling 13.58 million bpd, according to figures released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This compares with production a year ago of 13.25 million bpd. Of note, the EIA’s data also showed crude production in top-producing state Texas increased 11,000 bpd in June to 5.72 million bpd. Gross natural gas production in the U.S. lower 48 states hit a record 120.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in June, up from 120.2 bcf/d in May, the EIA also reported. In Texas, monthly natural gas output in June rose by 0.7 percent to 36.8 bcf/d.
“The Texas oil and natural gas industry remains vital for job creation, innovation and energy security, with 2025 employment trends driven by a variety of dynamic factors,” said Ed Longanecker, president of TIPRO. “Federal policies, including faster permitting and expanded LNG export approvals, along with transformative investment in AI-driven data centers, will support increased export activity, creating high paying jobs in midstream, gas-fired generation and export infrastructure in the coming years,” concluded Longanecker.
###