Texas Natural Gas Summit Reflects Industry's Boom
More than a month before the Oct. 23 expo and job fair in Austin, the Texas Railroad Commission exceeded the number of anticipated exhibitors.
Record-breaking employment in the Texas oil and gas extraction industry is also causing a boom of sorts for the Texas Railroad Commission's Oct. 23 Texas Natural Gas Summit. The event is an expo and job fair that will be held in Austin, and the commission already has exceeded the number of anticipated exhibitors, Commissioner David Porter announced Sept. 17.
"It is an incredible feat to hit the mark so early, but as the industry is eager to fill jobs, we are happy to help bring them as many qualified workers as we can find. These companies need to fill every job imaginable, from engineers, to accountants, to mechanics and drivers."
According to Texas Workforce Commission, the number of Texans working in the oil and gas industry reached an all-time high in June 2014, with 297,800 Texans appearing on oil and gas industry payrolls -- 6.2 percent more than in June 2013. The Texas Railroad Commission reported that those figures do not include contract workers, which would bring total employment to 302,700, citing economist Karr Ingham, who maintains the Texas Petro Index for the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.
"The jobs featured at the summit are crucial. The industry expects both domestic and export markets to grow, which will likely maintain demand for workers down the road for some time," said Porter. "This year gave us unprecedented growth in the number of natural gas vehicles, fuel sales, fueling stations, and jobs created. I look forward to building on this record in 2015 and beyond."
For information on the jobs available at the summit, go to www.rrc.state.tx.us and search Summit. Employers are looking for welders; accountants and finance professionals; drilling, petroleum, reservoir, production, mechanical, pipeline and process engineers; mechanics; truck drivers; sales and marketing professionals; construction workers, rig hands and field service technicians; and more, according to the commission.