Energy Jobs Reflect Adjustment, Uncertainty, Disruptions
January 14, 2026
The Energy Workforce & Technology Council has released its December 2025 jobs report, marking the end of a year of workforce adjustment, market uncertainty, and federal labor data disruptions.
Energy services employment totaled 629,372 jobs in December, a decline of 184 positions from November, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Energy Workforce analysis.
December’s report concludes a fluctuating year for the sector. Employment peaked in April 2025 at 640,001 jobs, before slowly trending downward through much of the second half of the year. By year's end, energy services employment stood approximately 11,000 jobs below its spring high.
Even with this decline, employment levels remained relatively stable compared to prior industry downturns.
Year over year, the energy services sector experienced an average employment decline of approximately 2.3 percent compared to 2024. This change reflects the difference between average monthly employment in 2025 and the average for 2024, amid ongoing challenges in the operating environment shaped by market uncertainty, tariffs, and rising costs.
According to the BLS, the national job market added 50,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate declined to 4.4 percent. Overall, U.S. employment growth in 2025 was the weakest since the 2020 recession, underscoring the broader economic slowdown facing multiple sectors.
“2025 tested the OFS sector’s workforce’s resilience,” said Energy Workforce President Molly Determan. “Market uncertainty, tariffs, permitting delays, and inconsistent data reporting added complexity to planning and hiring.”
Despite the challenges, Determan emphasized the sector’s long-term outlook.
“OFS companies invested in their workforce and provided long-term training and planning. This focus on readiness and resilience positions the industry to adapt as conditions change.”
