U.S. oil and gas workforce shows gradual recovery, Energy Workforce reports

(WO) – The Energy Workforce & Technology Council (EWTC) released the 2024 Workforce Report, developed in collaboration with Accenture. The report provides a detailed analysis of the current state of employment within the energy services sector, focusing on job growth, workforce composition, and granular insights into diversity metrics.

The 2024 Workforce Report offers a comprehensive overview of the sector's workforce, analyzing data from approximately 346,598 employees globally, with nearly 189,000 based in the United States.

This edition builds upon previous reports from 2018 and 2021, delving deeper into employment trends and offering an in-depth examination of workforce statistics during the reporting period from 2001-2023.

Key findings from the report indicate a gradual workforce recovery within the U.S. energy services sector, with early 2023 seeing steady job growth, followed by a period of stabilization.

Notably, the top six energy-producing states account for 76% of jobs in the sector, with Texas taking a significant lead at 317,199 positions, followed by Louisiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, and California.

While women's participation has slightly increased since 2021, significant gender disparity persists, with women representing only 21% of the workforce. Ethnic diversity has also risen, with minorities now making up 38% of the workforce, primarily driven by Hispanic employees.

Energy Workforce President Molly Determan emphasized the significance of the report's findings, stating, "EWTC’s 2024 Workforce Report provides critical insights into the evolving dynamics of the energy workforce. While we see promising trends in job growth, there is still much work to be done in diversity. Our commitment is to support the industry in creating a resilient, adaptable workforce that can meet the future challenges of the global energy landscape."

“Attracting and retaining a diverse array of talent remains vital to the U.S. energy services sector’s ability to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy,” said Keri Macaluso, a managing director in Talent and Organization Strategy at Accenture, who led on the report’s development. “The current and future opportunities of the energy industry will require innovation driven by technologies from data and analytics to generative AI. Diversity of thought, which comes from diversity of lived experiences, will be key to helping drive this progress.”

The 2024 Workforce Report underscores the importance of industry-led initiatives for workforce diversity and development. It highlights the need for merit-based recruitment, targeted skill and leadership development programs, and flexible work options as key strategies to attract and retain top talent.

Methodology. During February through June 2024, the Energy Workforce & Technology Council canvassed workforce data from 23 companies on their 2023 data, covering approximately 346,600 working men and women globally — including almost 189,000 employees in the United States.

Companies with less than 1,000 global employees were specifically included, in addition to the largest sector participants, to gain insight into practices prevalent throughout the sector.

The Council also analyzed published data related to a range of workforce issues, including labor force, progression, talent gaps, culture at work, company statistics by level and company best practices.