Pennsylvania is the seventh top state for job growth in the gas, oil and energy technologies sector with business booming faster than companies can find employees.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statics, the oilfield services and equipment industry grew by over 7,000 jobs in December 2021. This sector is growing in Tioga and Potter counties as well.
Costy’s Energy Services, based in Mansfield, provides services to the gas and oil industry in Ohio, West Virginia, and western and northern Pennsylvania. They have 40 open positions and are hoping to employ locals.
“Over the years, the industry went up and down, and we lost those key individuals. Out-of-town workers left and went home and the local retainment was not as high as it needed to be. We also lost to other industries.”
Kurzejewski acknowledges the reputation that the oil and gas industry had a decade ago.
“The industry did not cater to a sustainable lifestyle,” he said. “It was very demanding — long hours, holidays, relatively unforgiving for absence. It did not make it possible to have a home life.”
Kurzejewski notes that Costy’s business model has changed.
“We’ve worked very diligently to make our employment accommodate sustainability for everything outside of work. We’ve been trying to focus on making employment more sustainable to accommodate customers long term,” he said.
Costy’s operates five divisions: containment and environmental; environmental, down hole tubing and casing installation; fluid transportation; and general services.
Kurzejewski hopes to fill their empty positions with local residents.
“Locals would be the best case scenario,” he said. “We’re trying to become creative to attract and onboard locals.
“We have many employees with a GED who bring in six figures a year; even in slow periods it’s very consistent,” he added. “We have jobs from basic general laborer to crew leads, supervisors and management. Ultimately we want to find a way to attract local, younger individuals to our company to work their way up.”
“We’re going to be around for a very long time,” Kurzejewski said. “Our industry is an important component in correcting climate change, and a critical component in future energy security long term. Demand has caught up and what we’ve seen is that the industry is remaining disciplined.”
Dr. Brad Webb is dean of engineering technologies Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport.
The school of engineering technologies offers degrees in plastics and polymer engineering technology, welding engineering, automated manufacturing, construction and civil engineering, survey and land design programs, heavy equipment operation, mechatronics (mechanical and electronics technology combined) and other degrees in energy sector-related fields.
Penn Tech offers 4-year bachelor’s degree, 2-year associates degree and certificate programs. A unique aspect of the associate’s program is that is offers students the same number of hands-on, major-related classes as the Bachelor’s degree.
“There are more job opportunities in the industry that we have students,” Webb said. “There is a skills gap. Most of our welders, machinists and auto technicians are over age 50. America has not done a great job of backfilling those rolls.”
Webb addressed the stereotype that jobs tied to the gas, oil and related industries are dirty and physically grueling.
“In manufacturing there is a myth that these jobs are dirty and dangerous,” Webb said. “Today it’s clean factories dealing with robotics, programming, computer 3-D models. You can eat off the floor in some of these factories. Today’s environment is super high tech.”
“How do you know pipelines and bridges are safe?” Webb asked. “You X-ray them. My students are going to make sure that safety failures don’t happen to pipelines and bridges.
Penn Tech encourages but does not require internships, offers job placement assistance and works with local companies such as Lycoming Engines and John Deere.
Dave Callahan of Pittsburgh is the president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.
“There is a broad opportunity nationally and internationally, and an uptick in activity in the field,” said Callahan. “The industry is back from the pandemic; there’s such a need for natural gas.”
Callahan notes that the industry is humming with activity for natural gas producers as well as for well tenders, people in the building trades and environmental consultants.
“From the well pad to the burner tip, we need workers for all facet of the industry,” he said. “Jobs in our industry require everything from a GED to a Ph.D. Employers will train up people; the construction trades are providing free apprenticeships.
“Pennsylvania is the second-largest natural gas producer in country,” said Callahan. “Opportunities are growing here, and we need workers.”
Callahan referred interested workers to the Marcellus Shale Coalition website, www.marcelluscoalition.org. There are over 150 companies with job openings listed on their job portal.
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