The January increases make OFS employment the highest since March 2020, and the numbers continue to reach closer to the pre-pandemic levels in February 2020 of 706 528. Overall, US employers added 517 000 jobs, exceeding expectations and significantly higher than the 260 000 gains in December. The participation rate remained relatively unchanged with a minimal increase to 62.4% in January, and the overall unemployment rate dropped to 3.4%, the lowest level in 53 years. Leisure and hospitality employers led the January increases by adding 128 000 jobs, while construction (+25 000) and manufacturing (+19 000) added the fewest jobs.
“In January, our industry continued to add jobs to the energy workforce, moving closer to reaching pre-pandemic hiring levels,” said Energy Workforce & Technology Council CEO Leslie Beyer. “I am proud to advocate on behalf of the energy workforce. Even with fewer employees over the past three years, our industry has been able to meet the spikes in demand and is producing close to pre-pandemic levels all while developing new technology and deploying innovative production processes that are lowering emissions. I encourage those seeking a good paying, exciting career, with excellent growth opportunities to look at the energy industry.”
