August Jobs Report Shows Continued Stability, Modest Growth in Energy Services Workforce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOUSTON — Today, the Energy Workforce & Technology Council released its August 2026 jobs report, demonstrating continued stability in the energy services workforce with employment increasing by more than 3,000 jobs in August.

Energy services employment totaled 629,827 jobs in August, an increase of 3,059 positions from July, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Energy Workforce analysis.

The August increase continues a year of relatively stable employment across the energy services sector. While monthly totals have fluctuated as companies respond to changes in customer activity and market conditions, workforce levels have remained within a relatively narrow range throughout 2026.

The increase also comes as hiring strengthened considerably across the broader U.S. economy. According to the BLS, U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, significantly exceeding economists’ expectations of 53,000 jobs. The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent.

“August’s increase is encouraging and continues the broader trend of workforce stability we’ve seen throughout the year,” said Energy Workforce President Molly Determan. “Companies are seeing opportunities for increased activity, but they continue to approach hiring with discipline. The focus remains on building and maintaining the skilled workforce needed to meet sustained customer demand.”

Determan noted that the sector continues to navigate changing commodity prices, geopolitical uncertainty and broader economic conditions while remaining positioned to respond to future demand.

“Energy services companies have become increasingly deliberate in their workforce decisions,” Determan said. “Companies are aligning hiring with customer activity while maintaining the workforce capacity needed to respond to longer-term demand. That disciplined approach is supporting continued stability across the sector.”

State-by-State Breakdown

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About Energy Workforce & Technology Council

Energy Workforce & Technology Council is the national trade association for the global energy technology and services sector, representing more than 625,000 U.S. jobs in the technology-driven energy value chain. Energy Workforce works to advance member policy priorities and empower the energy workforce of the future.