Source: Wikimedia
Texas’ upstream oil and natural gas sector is on a sustained hiring streak, with four consecutive months of job growth.
Texas’ upstream oil and natural gas sector recorded its fourth straight month of job growth in June 2026, according to newly released data from the Texas Workforce Commission. Employment in the state’s exploration and production sector climbed by 400 jobs in June, following a gain of more than 4,000 upstream jobs in May.
With tensions in the Middle East impacting international supply chains, Texas producers have continued to hire, invest, and produce.
Texas Oil & Gas Association President Todd Staples credited the state’s workforce for driving the momentum. “Four straight months of job gains are a testament to the skilled and dedicated workforce that fuels Texas’ oil and natural gas industry, which has continued to grow amid tensions in the Middle East. Oil and natural gas production in the Lone Star State is central to America’s standing as the world’s leader in delivering safe, reliable energy resources.”
Since September 2020, Texas upstream oil and natural gas employment has increased by 40,700 jobs, a gain of nearly 26%.
The upstream sector’s economic footprint extends far beyond the wellhead, with upstream employment supporting an additional 231,000 indirect jobs within the supply chain and 418,000 induced jobs generated by household spending across the broader economy. In total, the upstream oil and natural gas sector alone sustains 847,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs statewide.
