Public Resource
The Future of Energy & Work in the United States: The American Oil & Gas Worker Survey
Cross sectional survey of 1,635 non-management oil and gas workers in the US revealed new insights and key themes relevant to a truly "just transition" from fossil fuels, including:
- Job security: Over half of the survey respondents lost their jobs at least once previously to 2020 and more than half of the survey lost their jobs in 2020 -- suggesting that the oil and gas industry has already been systematically reducing its workforce.
- Pay & Benefits: While average wages in the oil and gas industry have declined, wages in emerging alternative energy industries are not
competitive enough to attract oil and gas workers. - Safety & Working Conditions: A third of survey respondents indicated that they had been ordered to engage in unsafe working practices that were in direct violation of established safety practices.
- Future Opportunities: Many workers expressed deep distrust of the government, but also acknowledged a potential role for certain agencies. If oil and gas companies do not rehire workers to previous levels, then many respondents said that the government should provide wage replacement (37%), health insurance benefits (35%), and fund training for workers to find new employment (42%).