In a significant sector of the Texas oil and gas industry, 4,300 new jobs were created in March, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The upstream sector is comprised of oil and natural gas extraction and support activities for mining, common in the Eagle Ford Shale. It excludes other industry sectors such as refining, petrochemicals, fuel wholesales, oilfield equipment manufacturing, pipelines and gas utilities, according to the Texas Oil & Gas Association.
March’s job creation is the largest single month-over-month gain in jobs since the summer of 2011.
As of March, the sector consists of about 170,000 jobs statewide. Jobs in the upstream sector in Texas have grown each month since September, but they are still below their pre-pandemic level of about 220,000 jobs statewide.
