Houston Chronicle By John C. Roper 2/20/2019
Midland led the nation in job growth, with employment in the West Texas county surging by nearly 12 percent — more than seven times the national average, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.
The surge was driven by the oil production boom in the Permian Basin, where output is breaking records and billions of dollars are being invested in pipelines and storage to move crude to Gulf Coast refining and export markets. The flood of money and workers coming into the county is not only creating jobs in the oil field, but also in the sectors, from construction to hospitality to transportation that provide goods and services to the energy industry.
Average weekly wages in Midland also rose by a staggering 7.4 percent, more than double the national average of 3.3 percent and triple that of Houston, which increased by 2.1 percent, according to the Labor Department.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for someone at the beginning of their career, in the middle of their career or even to rehabilitate their career,†said Bobby Burns, a former three-term mayor of Midland who is currently president and CEO of the city’s chamber of commerce. “The jobs are here.â€
This time is different
The Permian Basin is one of the world’s most prolific oil fields, nearing production of 4 million barrels a day and accounting for about one-third of U.S. output. More than 470 drilling rigs, about half the operating rigs in the continental United States, are in the Permian Basin.
Oil and gas employment has surged nearly 24 percent. The unemployment rate in Midland County has plunged to 2.1 percent, compared to 4 percent in the United States and Texas, and 4.1 percent in Houston.
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