Though fracking continues to divide Ohioans in regard to environmental health and safety, the shale gas industry has brought jobs to the state, some of which are likely to have gone to Athens County residents.
Employment in the “core” shale gas industries, such as pipeline construction and well drilling, increased by 17 percent from the first quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012, according to the Ohio Shale Quarterly Economic Trends for Ohio Oil and Gas Industries’ January 2013 report produced by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The “ancillary” shale gas industries, such as trucking and environmental consulting, increased by 3 percent.
Though a majority of shale-related employment can be found in the core and ancillary industries listed in the report, not all business establishments in these industries are related to shale gas, according to the report. In addition, not all of the products and services, and therefore employment, in these shale-related businesses are linked to the shale industry.
Employment relating to injection wells is included in the “drilling oil and gas wells” industry and is one of six core industries listed in the report, said Benjamin Johnson, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
There are four injection wells that are in operation in Athens County.
According to the report, there were 52 more jobs in the “drilling oil and gas wells” industry in the first quarter of 2012 than in the first quarter of 2011.
Much of the industry is still in development, which would lead one to believe that there is room for more jobs in the future, Johnson said.
He said that tracking the number of jobs in Ohio is important because it is the best indicator of a state’s economy.
“Stable employment” is an estimate of the number of jobs that were present at the beginning and end of a quarter, according to the report. The number of “stable employment” jobs decreased by 7,550 between the second and third quarters of 2011.
“Separations” is the estimated number of workers whose jobs with a given employer ended during a quarter, according to the release. The number of “separations” increased by 85,258 between the second and third quarters of 2011.
This suggests that many of the jobs in the shale industry are temporary as opposed to long-term employment opportunities.
Athens County Job and Family Services has received an increasing number of calls from the shale gas industry, mainly from trucking companies who are looking for shale transportation employees, said Nick Claussen, spokesperson for the department.
“Hopefully it will keep increasing,” he said. “We’re happy to see more job opportunities for Athens County residents.”
ls114509@ohiou.edu
