The number of jobs and the economic benefits of shale gas are always greatly overstated. The entire industry has continually cut costs by automating more tasks and laying off workers.

The most recently available US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data show that direct employment in oil and gas extraction is near its lowest level in a decade. The industry employed only 115,638 people in 2023, down from 196,704 in 2014, despite record levels of oil and gas production.  Even including related sectors like pipeline transportation and manufacturing equipment, the industry was only responsible for 621,861 jobs, down from a peak of 887,573 in 2014.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) states that there are nearly 5 million jobs in renewable energy – just in electricity generation and efficiency sectors alone.

High paying skilled jobs on the drilling rigs are almost always staffed by experienced hands from elsewhere, meaning that generally only lower level and temporary jobs are offered to local workers. Currently, many NB employers cannot find people to fill jobs. Meanwhile, young people leave the province for “better” jobs.  Are temporary and highly dangerous shale gas jobs the kind that will keep our young people here?