美国油气行业就业率下降26%

US oil and gas producers have cut 142,000 jobs as of May 2016 since its peak employment levels in October 2014 of 538,000, according to a US Energy Information Administration press release on Friday—a 26% drop over that period.

To put the employment figures into perspective, the average decrease in employment over the 20-month span from October 2014 to May 2016 is 7,100 per month—a figure that dwarfs the jobs cuts in the oil and gas sector during the 2008-2009 recession, which was 51,000 for a 13-month period, according to the press release, or an average of 3,923 per month.

Whereas US oil rig count and jobs are seemingly tied together and followed similarly bleak paths, crude oil production has not followed the same sharp downward trajectory, mainly due to advances in drilling technology. This would seem to suggest that neither the rigs nor the jobs are needed to sustain current production levels, which are not too far off from 2014 levels.

CNN’s list included chart topper National Oilwell Varco, who cut 17,850 jobs; Schlumberger with 12,500; Halliburton with 10,200; Chevron with 7,500; and Weatherford International bringing up the rear in tenth place with 6,000.