Jobs
The oil and natural gas industry directly employs almost 2.6 million Americans and supports 9.8 million jobs in America, representing 5.6% of total U.S. employment. For every 1 person directly employed by the U.S. oil and gas industry, an additional 2.8 jobs are supported throughout the economy.
These jobs generated $597.6 billion in associated labor income - including wages, salaries, benefits and proprietors' income, and contributed $1.2 trillion in added value in the economy. The average wage in the oil and gas industry, across many professions, exceeds the national average rate by nearly $50,000.
For opportunities in the oil and natural gas workforce, please find out more information here.
Where the Jobs Are
-
Upstream: 1,150,500 (44%)
-
Midstream: 274,800 (11%)
-
Downstream: 1,165,400 (45%)
Upstream operations refer to the exploration and identification of oil and natural gas resources, the design and construction of wells to retrieve those resources and the infrastructure to support retrieval.
Midstream operations include pipelines, transportation and storage of oil and natural gas.
Downstream operations include the refining of oil, as well as the marketing and distribution of oil-derived products and natural gas.
Looking to the Future
There are a projected 1.3 million job opportunities in the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Industries over the 2010-2030 period. 408,000 of these are opportunities are projected for African American and Hispanic workers, as minority employment will rise from 1/4 of the total workforce in 2010 to 1/3 of the total in 2030.
Of the 1.3 million jobs expected through 2030, 63% are projected to be in blue collar occupations. This suggests tremendous opportunity for workers with a high school diploma and some post-secondary training. In addition, 23% of the projected opportunities are expected to be in scientific and managerial positions.