The number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry hit its lowest figure so far this year, data on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website showed.
According to preliminary figures included in the BLS data set, which spanned from January 2016 to October 2026, the number of employees in the sector stood at 113,900 in October and 114,500 in September. The data page showed that the number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry came in at 114,800 in August, 114,600 in July, 115,100 in June, 115,400 in May, 115,200 in April, 115,900 in March, 116,200 in February, and 115,500 in January.
The last time a figure lower than October’s was registered on the data page was in March 2022, when the number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry came in at 112,300. October 2026’s figure was also the second lowest October figure in the data set, with the lowest coming in 2021, at 111,300.
Including the 2026 figure, the number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry has decreased from September to October in eight out of the last 11 years, the data set showed.
It dropped from 160,800 to 158,600 from September to October 2016, 143,600 to 142,200 from September to October 2017, 141,400 to 141,100 from September to October 2018, 144,000 to 143,400 from September to October 2019, 111,400 to 111,300 from September to October 2021, 120,900 to 120,500 from September to October 2024, and 115,900 to 115,700 from September to October 2025.
Looking at October to November in the data set, these figures have dropped month on month in five of the 10 years on display, increased in four years, and stayed the same in one year. Looking at November to December, the data set outlined an identical pattern to October-November figures. It showed that the number of employees in the oil and gas extraction industry has decreased in five of the 10 years on display, from November to December, increased in four of the years, and remained flat in one year.
According to the BLS data page, the highest figure in the data set was seen in January 2016, at 187,300 and the lowest figure, 110,900, was seen in November 2021 and January 2022.
The BLS data is taken from the national Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, the data page highlighted. The CES program produces detailed industry estimates of nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings of workers on payrolls, the BLS site states, adding that CES National Estimates produces data for the nation and CES State and Metro Area produces estimates for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and about 450 metropolitan areas and divisions.
Each month, CES surveys approximately 119,000 businesses and government agencies, representing approximately 622,000 individual worksites, the BLS site notes.
The oil and gas extraction subsector is part of the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector, the BLS site states. The site highlights that, according to the North American Industry Classification System, “industries in the Oil and Gas Extraction subsector operate and/or develop oil and gas field properties”.
“Such activities may include exploration for crude petroleum and natural gas; drilling, completing, and equipping wells; operating separators, emulsion breakers, desilting equipment, and field gathering lines for crude petroleum and natural gas; and all other activities in the preparation of oil and gas up to the point of shipment from the producing property,” the site adds.
“This subsector includes the production of crude petroleum, the mining and extraction of oil from oil shale and oil sands, and the production of natural gas, sulfur recovery from natural gas, and recovery of hydrocarbon liquids,” it continues.
The BLS describes itself on its site as an agency of the United States Department of Labor.
“It is the principal fact-finding agency in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as part of the U.S. Federal Statistical System,” the site notes.
“BLS collects, calculates, analyzes, and publishes data essential to the public, employers, researchers, and government organizations,” it adds.
Texas Upstream Oil, Gas Jobs
A statement posted on industry body the Texas Oil & Gas Association’s (TXOGA) website in October announced that, according to newly released data from the Texas Workforce Commission for September 2026, upstream oil and natural gas employment decreased slightly in September compared with August 2026.
Total upstream salaried employment was 196,400 jobs in September 2026, up 2,400 jobs from September 2025, but had a dip of about 500 jobs from August to September 2026, the statement noted.
Since September 2020, Texas upstream oil and gas employment has increased by 39,400 jobs, a gain of over 25 percent, the statement highlighted.
“Month to month, job numbers will move,” TXOGA President Todd Staples said in the statement.
“Texas oil and natural gas exploration and production employment is up from a year ago and has grown by more than 25 percent since 2020,” he added.
“With global tensions weighing on industries worldwide, Texas producers keep delivering the energy Americans rely on every day while nearing historic production highs,” he continued.
“To keep this momentum going, it is imperative that pro-reliable energy policies are prioritized to ensure our industry can grow the workforce and move product to market,” he went on to state.
TXOGA highlighted in its statement that upstream employment in the oil and natural gas industry “refers to jobs that focus on locating and extracting energy resources”.
Industry body the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) announced last month in a report posted on its site, which cited the latest CES report at the time from the BLS, that Texas upstream employment softened in September.
“According to TIPRO, employment in the Texas upstream sector decreased by 500 jobs between August and September 2026, reflecting a decline of 100 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction (62,600) and a decline of 400 service sector jobs (133,800), subject to revisions,” TIPRO noted in its statement.
TIPRO outlined, however, that Texas upstream employment ended September higher than where it started the year.
“Employment rose from 192,400 jobs in January to a peak of 197,300 in May … then declined in June and July to 195,500 before increasing to a revised 196,900 in August and then declining to 196,400 in September,” TIPRO highlighted.
“That September total is 900 jobs, or 0.5 percent, below the May peak. Measured against the January starting point, upstream employment is up 4,000 jobs, or 2.1 percent, for the year,” it added.
“That net gain reflects a much larger increase of 5,800 jobs from a February low of 191,500 to the May peak of 197,300, following an early-year decline of 900 jobs in February,” it continued.
“The June and July losses of 300 and 1,500 jobs, respectively, subsequently gave back a portion of that spring gain. August’s revised 1,400-job increase restored part of the July decline. September’s 500-job decline partially offset the August gain. July figures, initially reported as a 1,200-job decrease to 195,800, have since been revised and now reflect a 1,500-job decline from June to 195,500,” it went on to note.
TIPRO said month to month fluctuation of this kind is common in upstream employment data over the course of a year, adding that “this period has been no exception, with declines in four of the eight monthly changes recorded so far, including the 900-job drop in February and the 1,500-job drop in July, the steepest monthly decline of the year”.
TIPRO noted that its workforce analysis continues to indicate strong job postings for the Texas oil and natural gas industry. According to the association, there were 12,719 unique industry job postings in Texas during the month of September and 5,418 new job postings added during the month. The industry body reported a total of 73,739 unique job postings nationwide during the month of September within the oil and natural gas industry, including 30,639 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 September with 2,883 postings, followed by Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores (2,240), Petroleum Refineries (1,054) and Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas (881), TIPRO revealed.
“September’s modest 500 job decline leaves Texas upstream employment well above its January level, and job postings for the industry remain strong,” TIPRO President Ed Longanecker said in the statement.
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