Oklahoma’s oil and gas sector employment remained steady from June to July this year, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
The monthly report showed June 2017 employment in the Mining and Logging Sector, where oil and gas workers are counted, was 46,700 and the number didn’t change in July. However, the July 2017 total was still 7.9% or 3,400 more than July a year ago.
Statewide employment took a slight hit as the jobless rate increased one-tenth of a percent from June to July, coming to 4.4 percent for July 2017. Out of a labor force of 1,817,345 in Oklahoma, employment totaled 1,738,184 and the number of unemployed came to 79,161.
The number of jobless in June had been 78,919. In July of 2016, the unemployed stood at 91,912 and the state’s jobless rate was 5%.
Economist Lynn Gray with the State indicated manufacturing reported the largest over-the-month job loss of 1,400 jobs, followed by Professional and Business Services where the loss totaled 500 jobs.
Over the past year, Trade, Transportation and Utilities reported a loss of 7,000 jobs. With the return of schools in session, Education and Health Services saw the largest job gain over the year of 6,400 jobs.