From the start of 2007 until the end of 2012 there has been a 40 percent increase in oil and gas industry jobs in the US, accounting for an uplift of more than 162,000 jobs, according to a recent report from the US Department of Labor’s (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The report compares this with the increase of total US private sector employment over the same period which amounted to a rise of just one percent, recognising that employment in the oil and gas industry is growing much faster than total private sector employment.

Patrick Phelan, managing director of Aquaterra Energy, said: “The growing level of project activity we see in the US reflects these recent employment statistics.  As our project involvement in this key region grows we need more and more skilled and talented engineers to put into action our innovative engineering solutions.

“Growing talent is an international issue and one that Aquaterra Energy proactively works towards by investing in its talent through its Graduate Training Programme and its apprenticeships.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics broke down the oil and gas industry employment in the US into three categories: drilling, extraction and support and concluded:

– there were more than 90,000 jobs within the drilling category in the US by the end of 2012, up by more than 6,600 jobs from 2007
– employment in extraction numbered more than 53,000 jobs over the reported period and amounted to more than 193,000 jobs at the end of 2012
– being the largest oil and gas category for employment, support employed more than 286,000 people by the end of 2012, an increase of 102,000 jobs in 2007.