Marcellus Coalition: 96% of Shale Workers from 5 States
PITTSBURGH -- The Marcellus Shale Coalition today released the results of its annual workforce survey, a real-time overview of the employment makeup of the region’s natural gas industry.
The results, based on 2012 data provided by more than 100 members of the industry advocacy group -- indicate that 96% of the employees are from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and New York, all states in the Appalachian Basin, the coalition notes.
“We are proud of the talented and hardworking men and women developing these clean-burning, homegrown energy resources,” said the CEO of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, Kathryn Klaber. “The results of this survey illustrate that our industry’s workforce is strong and growing.”
Highlights from the survey include:
- 30% of new hires work in equipment operations; 20% in operations and maintenance, 13% in commercial functions, 11% in engineering and construction, 8% in administration and 4% in environmental health and safety;
- The research identifies which positions were most difficult to fill in 2012;
- The functions and services companies outsourced;
- Workforce diversity, compared with Pennsylvania’s general population; and
- Recruitment methods and challenges, including educational and professional training needs.
According to research, surveyed companies expect to directly hire some 4,000 new employees in 2013 in areas ranging from engineering and construction to operations and maintenance, environmental health and safety and administration, among others.
“Our member companies are increasingly hiring and training local talent, which remains a top industry priority," Klaber said. "And despite the sluggish economic trends nationally, the opportunities available for careers in shale exploration and production continue to grow. Yet to sustain and further expand these hiring trends, we must ensure that common sense polices are in place, especially as it relates to local zoning.”
The workforce survey results are available at MarcellusCoalition.org.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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