NewsWest 9
MIDLAND - The numbers don't lie. Here in the Basin, jobs in the oil and gas industry thrive.
"Let's face it, the Midland/Odessa area's been a good area," Willie Taylor, CEO of Midland's Workforce Board, said. "Midland's still showing the lowest unemployment rate in the state of Texas."
But there's a new shift in job growth, one occurring not only across the Unites States, but here in West Texas too.
"I think when you see that rise of oil and gas, you will start seeing an increase in the manufacturing areas," Taylor said. "Your Compressor Systems and Tomcats, what those companies will be likely to see."
There's a new trend here in the Basin. Now, jobs not only thrive in the oilfields, but manufacturing jobs are on the rise as well. We're talking welders, field mechanics, machinists, blue-collar jobs that could be available for the right person at the right time.
One company, TomCat, told NewsWest 9 they've seen a nearly eight percent increase in employment this year.
"Our customers are starting to free up some of their capital," TomCat controller Kenneth Darlin, said.
"In 2009, no one was willing to buy anything. Now people are starting to assess things, we can reevaluate whether we need to get something newer, better or brighter."
And that better buying spirit across the country is helping to open doors for job-seekers.
