Development Board Trains Skilled Workers To Mitigate Labor Shortage

摘要

A recovering oil and gas industry brings with it a common site around the Permian Basin: the help wanted sign. With the industry accounting for almost 30% of the basin's civilian workforce, Midland and Odessa, in particular, are regaining jobs and experiencing a tighter labor market with recuperating oil and gas boosting overall economic gains in the heart of America's oil and gas industry. "We are seeing shortages of available workers in all employment sectors right now, whether truck driving, education, healthcare, construction, mechanics, HVAC and other areas," says Willie Taylor, chief executive officer at the Permian Basin Workforce Development Board. "We will continue to see labor shortages in all sectors for a while." With oil prices eclipsing $70 a barrel and the Permian accounting for half of active U.S. rigs in mid-summer, oil and gas companies and service providers are working closely with the board and its educational partners to train and attract new employees and cultivate the existing workforce, Taylor says.