Job News: Oil jobs flow into area

Wyoming News.com: Oil jobs flow into area
The industry has at least 49 job openings in Laramie County and more may be on the way as the Niobrara oil play develops.

By Josh Mitchell
jmitchell@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE -- Unemployed workers in this area may strike oil soon.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of oil industry jobs available in southeast Wyoming.

There are 49 job openings in the Laramie County oil fields, according to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.

Those jobs include truck drivers, laborers and heavy equipment operators, said Andrea Hixon, director of the local Workforce Center.

Tim Holliman of Cheyenne was at the Workforce Center on Tuesday looking on the computer for jobs in the oil and gas industry. He is doing odd jobs to make a living now but is trying to find some steady work.

With the jobs available in the oil field, he is optimistic he will find something soon.

Murray Lou Rex said she also is looking for a job in the oil field or the wind energy industry. She said she would consider working as a truck driver but would have to obtain her commercial driver's license.

A single mom, Rex said she has always been interested in the mining industry.

"I'm really thrilled that these types of income opportunities are coming to Cheyenne," she said.

She said job seekers in Cheyenne must be open to gaining new job skills if they want positions in the oil and gas industry.

In the past three months, Workforce Services has connected 28 people in Laramie County with oil and gas industry jobs. There could be more, however, because not all companies provide Workforce Services with information on job placements.

Anadarko Petroleum spokesman Brian Cain said, "We are optimistic that as the (oil) play develops, additional employment opportunities will follow."

However, Cain said his company is still in the early stages of the Niobrara oil play, and it is premature to speculate on potential job creation.

"As we continue to evaluate the play and potentially increase the number of rigs operating there in 2011, there will be opportunities, particularly for service providers ..."

Cain added that it is Anadarko's practice to hire locally when possible.

Hixon said she has seen some of her clients who have been out of work for extended periods finally land jobs because of the oil and gas industry.

And she thinks things are only going to get better.

"I think it will continue to increase," she said.

Joan Evans, director of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, agreed this is good news.

"This is an exciting time in southeast Wyoming because in the past couple of years, we've seen our job postings remain stagnant or be drastically down from years past," Evans said.

Evans said job seekers should not be discouraged if they do not have the necessary job skills. She encourages them to visit local Workforce Services centers to see if they qualify for training assistance and education.

The state's unemployment rate is 6.3 percent, and Laramie County's is 8.2 percent.

Hixon said there have been many people coming into her office looking for jobs in the industry.

Recently, Hixon's office had a job fair for an energy company, Legend Excavating, and 35 interviews were conducted. Other energy companies also have expressed interest in holding job fairs, she said.

She added that unemployed workers from other states are calling her office, asking when jobs may become available.

"I just think it's going to explode," Hixon said.

Cheyenne LEADS CEO Randy Bruns said it is too early to tell what the impact of the oil play will be on the local employment scene. LEADS is the economic development corporation for Cheyenne and Laramie County.

If local workers want the jobs, they will have to acquire the specialized skills that are needed, Bruns noted, adding it is good that Laramie County Community College is here to provide job training.