Economic Impact for Counties with Active Drilling
The Center for Community and Business Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio Institute for Economic Development (UTSA) performed an economic study of 14 counties in the Eagle Ford Shale area that portrays a detailed image of the challenges and opportunities emerging from drilling and production activities in South Texas. In 2011, the companies operating in the region had significant impacts in the 14-county area and in the surrounding counties.
These impacts translated into:
- More than $19.2 billion in output
- Approximately $10.5 billion in gross regional product
- $211 million in local government revenues
- $312 million in state revenues
- 38,000 full-time jobs
- The study projects that by the year 2021, the Eagle Ford Shale could produce close to $62.2 billion in output and up to $34 billion in gross regional products.
Workforce Analysis for the Eagle Ford Shale
The Center for Community and Business Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio Institute for Economic Development (UTSA) performed a workforce analysis for the 20 counties within Texas directly and indirectly involved in the development of the hydrocarbon producing formation known as the Eagle Ford Shale (EFS). Each of these counties have witnessed an increased supply of EFS-related jobs within certain industries and requiring specific job training.
Direct, indirect and induced economic impacts were examined for each of the counties in the 20-county region to determine workforce impact. Direct impacts primarily consist of the actual production and employment by firms operating directly in the EFS. Indirect impacts include the operational and personnel expenditure made by suppliers, or inter-industry transactions spurred by the direct economic activity. Induced impacts include income flows created when workers spend money on various goods such as food, housing, and other products or services in the counties the counties under analysis.
The development of the Eagle Ford Shale has distinct phases, during which individual industries will experience varying levels of labor demand and evolving types of labor demanded. Thus, education and training requirements for workers will need to remain flexible enough to accommodate the vacillating needs of industry. For example, during the exploration phase counties will see a rise in the need for occupations dealing with mineral leasing, site construction/management, drilling rig support, and material transport. As companies shift into the production and processing phase of operations, they require a workforce composed of business management, administrative support and the processing of gas, oil and condensates occupations.
