Houston’s oil and gas sector is expected to shed thousands of jobs next year as falling crude prices slow drilling activity, marking one of the sharpest pullbacks for the industry in recent years, according to a new Greater Houston Partnership forecast.
The Partnership projects that upstream oil and gas will lose about 3,200 jobs in 2026, driven by lower expected West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices that are likely to squeeze producers’ margins and prompt new cost-cutting across the sector.
Industries tied to energy could feel even larger ripple effects: manufacturing is forecast to lose 3,400 jobs, and administrative support services—many connected to oil field operations—may shed about 7,500 positions in the industry. The contraction stands in sharp contrast to the rest of Houston’s labor market…