Describing the U.S. oil and gas extraction workforce with public data
1U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Monthly Labor Review
|February 6, 2026
Summary
This guide helps researchers estimate the oil and gas extraction (OGE) workforce using public data. Understanding OGE workforce dynamics is crucial for economic and safety assessments.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Labor Economics
- Energy Industry Analysis
Background:
- The oil and gas extraction (OGE) workforce is dynamic, influenced by energy markets and technological advancements.
- Accurate OGE workforce data is essential for workforce planning, injury analysis, and economic impact assessments.
- Understanding the structure of OGE employers (lead vs. specialized) is key to analyzing workforce characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a foundational guide for estimating the OGE workforce size, characteristics, dynamics, and distribution.
- To detail the industry structure, establishment types, and federal classification codes relevant to the OGE sector.
- To explore the relationship between employer types, workforce attributes, and injury/illness rates.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing publicly available data sources for workforce estimation.
- Analyzing industry structure, including lead and specialized employers.
- Presenting descriptive statistics of the OGE workforce.
- Examining correlations between employer characteristics and injury/illness patterns.
Main Results:
- Provides a framework for estimating OGE workforce size and characteristics.
- Highlights differences between lead and specialized employers within the OGE sector.
- Identifies potential relationships between industry structure and workforce safety outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Accurate estimation of the OGE workforce is vital for informed decision-making in the energy sector.
- Public data can be leveraged to understand workforce trends and associated risks.
- Further research can build upon this primer to refine workforce analysis and safety interventions.
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