Oil & Gas Jobs in South Texas Are Abundant

S. TX Expo Event Registration Line

Oil and gas jobs in South Texas are abundant. From gate guards to industry sales reps and engineers, there's a flood of new people running the roads of South Texas and more open positions than companies can find qualified people for. The Eagle Ford Shale oil boom has added oil and gas jobs in South Texas at a rate no one could have predicted.

Pioneer Natural Resources, an Irving, Texas-based driller, has hired 400 people in the South Texas area in the last two years, says Joey Hall, vice president in charge of Pioneer's South Texas Asset Team.

About 75% or a little more of Pioneer's workers are located in the field and contractors employ another 1,000 people who help build rigs and move crude.

The story is similar for Conoco who added more than 500 jobs between its Texas plays and North Dakota's Bakken Shale. Over 50% of Conoco's hires were engineers, but most jobs in the field don't require a college degree.

About 15% of the 54,000 new jobs expected in the Eagle Ford shale by 2021 will require a college degree, and a little more than 10% will require direct experience in the energy business, Tunstall said.

Read more in an article from South Carolina's wltx.com.

Economic Impact of the Eagle Ford Shale - UTSA Study

UTSA's Institute for Economic Development is releasing its latest study at two luncheons. One on May 9 in San Antonio and another in Cotulla on May 11. Here are the highlights from the San Antonio event:

In 2011:

• Eagle Ford Shale development supported almost 50,000
• Total impact of the play was $25 billion
• Companies paid $3.1 billion in salaries related to the play's development
• 14 county core area has seen average salaries rise 27-34% across the board

In 2021:

• Total economic impact could range from a low case of $25 billion to a high case of $96 billion
• Eagle Ford could support 117,000 jobs. More than 2.5 times current employment

On a side note:

• UTSA inherited 5,000 acres years ago and is getting royalties from one lease that is paying $25,000 per month. The money is going straight to scholarships
• All statistics were taken from a mid-case or moderate view of development. If the high case comes to fruition, the play could contribute even more to South Texas.

Tom Tunstall and crew did a great job presenting the findings. We're blessed to have great resources like the Institute of Economic Development right in our backyard.

We were in San Antonio providing live updates. Be sure to Follow EagleFordShale.com on Twitter to get future updates. If you'd like email updates on news in the Eagle Ford, be sure you're getting our daily or weekly email updates.

You can read more about the study at utsa.edu

Eagle Ford Opportunities - Governor's Small Business Forum Highlights

Opportunities of the Eagle Ford Shale, part of the Governor's Small Business Forum, was the title of the event in La Vernia on March 20. It was a great opportunity for small businesses to hear directly from operators in the area and to get bits of advice for working with the industry.  If you're interested in future events, you can track future gatherings at our Eagle Ford Events & Conferences page. I've included a few highlights/notes from the various speakers below:

Thomas Tunstall, Ph D. UTSA

• He will be surprised if there isn't significant development in Mexico
• U.S. energy imports are falling
• Wildcard for the Eagle Ford is the price of oil
• Actual drilling and production numbers for 2010 and 2011 were double his initial forecast
• Currently, modeling peak drilling at 2,500 wells per year (We expect the industry will get close to that this year)
• 3-10 Billion barrels of recoverable oil are the common estimates he sees
• Production will potentially surpass 1 million b/d before 2020 at current expectations
• Fiscal discipline is very important for communities - too much money was wasted during the boom times in other areas

An Industry representative from Chesapeake and one from Marathon provided a panel discussion for those in attendance. The title of the panel was

Conducting Business with the Oil & Gas Industry

Adam Haynes - Chesapeake Energy

• Hiring drivers, welders, and right-of-way agents
• Midstream is a big portion of hiring - they have to move the products
• Housing need is critical to the company's ability to grow its business in South Texas
• Expecting a resurgence in manufacturing that hasn't been seen in the past 100 years
• The industry has a BIG impact on local communities. The number one complaint he received a few months ago was about grocery stores not having milk and eggs.   CHK couldn't help, they're going to stick to drilling, but HEB is doing a great job
• Contractors need $5 million in general liability insurance

Rick O'Brien - Marathon Oil

• "Today is the slowest day for Marathon for the rest of the year." They're only increases their presence
• They use the internet to find contractor, so a presence online is very important
• Marathon doesn't own its subs like a Chesapeake, so contractors come through General Contractors
• Contractors have to accept credit cards/wire transfers and be willing to only send 10-15 invoices per year
• Recruiting 25 local operators
• Starting first responder training for local fire departments soon

Special thanks to Carolyn Gibson of the City of Gonzales and Jennifer Kolbe of the La Vernia Municipal Development District. The ladies organized a great event.