(WO) — Texas added 400 upstream oil and gas jobs in June as hiring in the oilfield services sector more than offset a decline in exploration and production employment, according to new workforce data released by the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO).

Citing the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, TIPRO reported upstream employment reached 197,700 workers in June. The increase reflected a gain of 1,300 jobs in support activities for oil and gas operations, partially offset by a decline of 900 jobs in oil and natural gas extraction.

The association also reported continued strength in industry hiring, with 10,978 unique oil and natural gas job postings across Texas during June, up slightly from May. Nationwide, the industry recorded 68,473 unique job postings, a 5% increase month over month.

Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations led all industry segments with 2,502 unique job postings, followed by gasoline stations with convenience stores (1,859), petroleum refineries (819) and pipeline transportation of natural gas (760). Houston remained the state's leading hiring market with 2,770 postings, followed by Midland (698), Odessa (509) and Dallas (486).

TIPRO also highlighted record state production tax collections from the industry. Texas producers paid $948 million in oil and natural gas production taxes in June, including a record $736 million in oil production taxes—an 82% increase from June 2025—and an additional $212 million in natural gas production taxes.

"The past week's sharp rise in oil prices, driven by renewed conflict between the United States and Iran, illustrates how quickly market conditions can shift for Texas producers," said TIPRO President Ed Longanecker. "Even with prices trading well above recent breakeven levels, tariffs on steel and other essential materials continue to raise the cost of drilling and completion work."

Longanecker added that the association continues to support federal permitting reform and is working with Texas lawmakers on issues including produced water regulations and inactive well requirements.

TIPRO also noted that the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects U.S. crude oil production to remain near record levels, forecasting average output of 13.7 MMbpd in 2026 before increasing to 14.2 MMbpd in 2027, with Texas continuing to account for a significant share of domestic production.