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) have highlighted new employment figures showing a decrease in upstream employment in Texas in the month of July.
According to TIPRO’s analysis, direct Texas upstream employment for July totaled 205,200, a decline of 1,400 industry positions from revised June employment numbers. This represented an increase of 200 jobs in oil and gas extraction and a decrease of 1,600 jobs in the services sector. As communicated in previous reports, TIPRO says fluctuations in monthly employment are normal and subject to revisions with CES data, also noting that demand for talent in the Texas upstream sector remains high.
TIPRO’s new workforce data indicated strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry. According to the association, there were 8,853 active unique jobs postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry last month, compared to 8,457 postings in June, and 3,840 new postings, compared to 3,533 in the previous month. In comparison, the state of Pennsylvania had 3,089 unique job postings in July, followed by California (2,641), Ohio (2,515), and Illinois (2,035). TIPRO reported a total of 57,472 unique job postings nationwide last month within the oil and natural gas sector, compared to 51,661 in June, including 26,666 new postings, representing an increase of 4,805 in new employment opportunities.
The top four companies ranked by unique job postings in July were Love’s (689), Energy Transfer (348), ExxonMobil (303), and Halliburton (287), according to the association. Of the top ten companies listed by unique job postings last month, four companies were in the services sector, two midstream companies, one in the gasoline stations with convenience stores category, one petroleum refinery company, one in oil and natural gas extraction, and one fully integrated oil and natural gas company.
TIPRO also points to the strong tax contributions made by the state’s oil and gas industry that continue to offer critical support of government coffers and provide important sources of funding for public services and programs that include Texas’ public schools and universities, roads, first responders and other essential services. Texas energy producers in July paid $433 million in oil production taxes, according to the Texas comptroller’s office. Last month, producers also paid $178 million to the state in natural gas production taxes, up 8 percent from July 2024.
Additionally, TIPRO highlights recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showing crude oil production in Texas grew to 5.752 million bpd in May, up from 5.751 million bpd pumped in April. Natural gas production in the Lone Star State last month also held steady at 36.75 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), data from the EIA showed, hovering near record levels of output.
“We are acutely aware of the challenges facing some companies in the upstream sector. Texas oil and gas producers have gained significant market, regulatory and fiscal advantages relative to the pre-pandemic era, driven largely by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and EPA’s deregulatory actions that will reduce barriers and costs for operators, but those benefits will take time to fully realize or feel,” said Ed Longanecker, president of TIPRO. “While uncertainties remain relative to geopolitical conflicts, OPEC output and tariffs, this new era of American energy dominance will unquestionably be fueled by domestic oil and natural gas, with Texas as the undisputed leader,” concluded Longanecker.
