Drilling's Economic Impact
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Scott Detrow
Susan Phillips / WHYY
A truck drives through Towanda, Bradford County
Just how many jobs does natural gas drilling produce? The Morning Call is the latest news outlet to take a crack at the answer, in this report from John Micek:
Viewed as a whole, the raft of reports and studies pegs the number of jobs created by the industry at as few as 10,000 to as many as 44,000, though the latter figure has since been discounted.
Researchers typically measure job creation in the industry in three ways: direct jobs, indirect jobs and jobs and economic activity that are “induced” by the industry. Direct and indirect jobs are what they sound like. They’re employees with companies that are either directly involved in drilling or support it in some way.
The induced effects are a result of consumer spending in other industries — clothing, household goods, entertainment or dining, for instance.
And speaking of jobs and drilling, the Post-Gazette takes a look at a group working to train veterans to work in the extraction industry:
It’s offered at community colleges and adult learning centers in the area; at least two local training centers bundle this training and a commercial driver’s license course for $7,000. The Veterans Leadership Program provides grants to help offset that cost, and the GI Bill covers many training courses.
“Your options are to go sit in a college classroom and go to school for four years and get a bachelor’s degree — or you could go to a four-week training program,” Mr. Grady said. “I wish I would have had that option.”
Shale jobs include various operators for drilling and hydraulic fracturing teams. Truck drivers are needed to haul waste water and equipment, as well as welders and workers to operate rigs and tend wells. Most careers are field-based.
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