Many people wonder how many jobs are available in oil and gas production. This is because today, the oil and gas production sector leads in employment rate, among others.
This industry supplies the world’s running energy and offers job opportunities to those looking to walk that path.
The oil and gas production industry is a critical energy market sector. Based on PWC’s estimations, this sector has over 9.8 million jobs, accounting for 5.6% of overall US employment.
The Energy Information Agency projected that the US market size of the oil and gas production sector would expand by 80%. Recently, the market is now worth $812 billion.
This article will highlight the vast employment opportunities available in the oil and gas industry. This will guide you through the specific one you choose to follow.
How Many Jobs Are Available In Oil And Gas Production?
The oil and gas production industry is a combination of both entry-level and advanced-degree jobs.
Yearly, it provides millions of jobs to people interested in walking down that career path. Let’s look at some jobs available in the oil and gas production industry.
Petroleum Production Engineers
One of the highest-paying jobs in the industry, with over 1500 job openings yearly. The primary function of PPEs is the supervision and enhancement of production.
They carry this out at the facilities and refineries where raw petroleum is transformed into finished goods.
A production engineer, among other things, ensures that the final distillation procedures go off without a hitch. He also makes sure the gas in your car is good enough. The average salary range for petroleum production engineers is between $60,000 and $175,000.
Geologists
This is one of the highest-paying jobs available in the oil and gas production industry.
With oil and gas extracted from many sites with diverse topographical problems, open slots for geologists are usually on the top side.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, this role has an expected 5% employment growth rate.
The geologist reveals the potential dangers of the terrain concerning rig building and maintenance.
This is important in cases where businesses drill beneath the earth’s surface in search of rock formations carrying oil and gas. Their average salary comes between $60,000 and $175,000.
Health, Safety, And Environmental Management
An HSE manager ensures that everyone who works on oil and gas production and the environment is safe.
They design and carry out all measures to guarantee workers’ complete safety.
Aside from that, they’re also responsible for conducting risk analysis and following the appropriate laid-down rules. Their salary average is about $70,000-$120,000.
Drilling Services
The primary concern of these experts is the use of drilling rigs to remove oil and gas from the earth’s surface.
They also run the drilling process, build structures for drilling rigs, and operate and care for drilling equipment. The range of their salary is between $40,000 and $100,000.
Financial Manager
Being huge, oil firms require management of their finances and assets. If you have a degree in finance but don’t want to work in the financial sector, this is a pleasant choice.
Aside from knowing the ins and outs of the company’s financial structure, it’s critical to understand the risk of currency exchange rates.
Since oil is an international resource, it is necessary to understand how international banking and currency work. The average financial manager’s salary ranges between $80,000 – $425,000.
Reservoir Engineers
These engineers devise plans and put them into action to increase the amount of oil and gas that comes out of reservoirs.
They might also work on developing new technologies to boost production effectiveness. The average salary of reservoir engineers falls between $40,000 and $100,000.
Human Resources Manager
The sciences and finance are not the only available jobs in the oil and gas production industry.
Human resources is equally important, as an HR manager will recruit the best employees to ensure the smooth running of the business.
Having a skilled HR manager in the oil and gas sector is priceless. If you’re considering taking up this role in the industry, you’ll require a high level of interpersonal and administrative skills. HR managers usually earn between $60,000 and $150,000.
Hydraulic Engineers
Most of the growth in US oil production is due to hydraulic fracturing in Texas and North Dakota.
Companies use fracking to recover oil by injecting water beneath the earth’s surface at incredibly high pressure.
A hydraulic engineer ensures the water is under the proper pressure and traveling in the right direction during this delicate process.
They work alongside drilling engineers to make sure the process is smooth. The average salary ranges between $60,000 and $300,000.
Truck Drivers
They must transport the raw crude oil and the finished product to different locations. This is only possible if there is someone to drive the petroleum trucks.
Therefore, there is usually open employment for truck drivers transporting the oil around.
Here, you’ll learn how to drive trucks explicitly made for moving oil and also complete paperwork for moving oil and gas. The salary range for this role is between $40,000 and $105,000.
Oil Rig Workers
The oil rig workers do the physical work needed to set up and maintain the oil rig. This may include climbing in awkward positions on rigs and pipes.
They might spend time traveling or on a remote oil rig. The average salary range is between $35,000 and $100,000.
Conclusion
The oil and gas sector in the United States supports millions of jobs and many other fundamental services.
Different well-paying soft-skills, white-collar, and blue-collar positions are available, so you have many options to consider.
FAQs
1.) What Course Should I Study For Oil And Gas Production?
This is solely your choice to make. There are many courses, be it geology, petroleum engineering, or HSE. Just find what works for you.
Also, you can apply to a trade school to learn how to operate machinery if you prefer physically demanding professions.
2.) What Are The Fields In The Oil And Gas Sector?
As earlier stated, the oil and gas industry is a huge energy market. It is, however, divided into three categories, which are:
- Downstream: refining and marketing
- Midstream: transportation and storage
- Upstream: oil and gas exploration and production
3.) Who Is The Largest Oil Producer In The World?
With an average daily output of 16.6 million barrels of oil in 2021, the United States will be the world’s largest oil producer.
With daily oil production of approximately 11 and 10.9 million barrels, Saudi Arabia and Russia are in second and third place, respectively.