Gabriel C. Pérez | KUT News
Oil pump jacks near residential and commercial areas of Odessa.
Upstream jobs in Texas’ oil and gas industry have increased slightly, according to the Texas Oil and Gas Association.
The state added 1,800 jobs in this sector in March, according to the association’s analysis of Texas Workforce Commission data. Houston added 200 oil and gas extraction jobs that month, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.
Many Texas oil companies expressed hesitation about increasing production in the first few months of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, saying it takes time to increase oil production – and supply disruptions, caused by war and other geopolitical factors, are often resolved before then.
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However, Texas Oil and Gas Association President Todd Staples said the market is beginning to respond to months of sustained higher oil prices, potentially contributing to the slight increase in jobs.
“I think the continued depletion of the storage of oil (in) both private and public sectors has motivated some companies to expand their production,” he said.
However, he said, it’s still hard to predict the long-term impacts of the war.
“I don’t think you’re going to see any abrupt moves because once normality returns, you’ll have to determine what the market looks like,” Staples said.
Overall, Texas added more than 46,000 non-farm jobs in March, with a slightly higher job growth rate than the rest of the country. Houston added 16,400 jobs in March.