How the Pandemic Affects the Jobs in Midland , TX
By : Alex Moyher
The COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting people worldwide , in both their professional and personal lives in many ways . Most of the effect seems to be negative , but there are some positive impacts too . Midland , Texas , is no exception and we ’ ll discuss some of the positive and negative impacts , especially as it relates to the employment statistics and job market . In any event , we eagerly await to see the fruits of the labor of developing and distributing multiple COVID-19 vaccines to the people of Midland and the world .
The first type of job to take a hit in Midland is construction jobs . Between November 2019 and November 2020 , the job statistics for this job market show around a 10 % decline . Many people have been holding on to cash for various reasons instead of venturing out to build a new home or business . They see the wild swings of the financial markets , the uncertainty about when the virus will be “ done ” with , and rising business closings ( in the construction industry and beyond ), and figure that if they don ’ t hold on to extra cash now , it may not be available later . Companies that may or may not be continuing with construction projects that were scheduled and set up logistically prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , but for similar reasons listed previously , are hesitant to begin new construction projects .
The oil industry is another market that employs many people in and around Midland . Historically , jobs in the oil industry expand when the cost of oil increases and contract when the cost of oil decreases ; which makes sense as oil companies are able to employ more people when they have more money and vice versa . The cost of oil has been hovering around $ 50 per barrel for around a year now , which is a statistically significant drop from prices in years prior . The demand has dropped as more people are staying home due to government lockdowns or outright fear of contracting the virus . As a result , analysts believe jobs in the industry are down by over 100,000 , with Texas alone losing almost 60,000 .
One positive impact on the job market in Midland is that the healthcare field has had many opportunities available . For obvious reasons , the demand for medical services and supplies has seen a sharp increase during the past year . This has led to hospitals and businesses within the healthcare industry increasing salary and benefits to attract everyone they can to meet the demand . Reports show that employers nationwide have been doing what they can to help during the pandemic , including paying up to 67 % of healthcare premiums , which naturally leads to an increase in people wanting to utilize their health insurance if the premiums are already paid . While the job numbers in the healthcare job market for 2020 nationwide are still being processed , from 2010-2020 , there was an increase of 30 % compared to 13 % for jobs in all other job markets .
4 EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS | RECRUITING & STAFFING SOLUTIONS www . EXPRESSTEXARKANA . com