From Fortune Media Company:

Interest in oil rig jobs has reached a five-year high, with starting salaries averaging $55,000 per year and opportunities for those without college degrees to make over $100,000 in management positions. Despite the high pay, the risks of physical, mental, and environmental hazards are causing more people to reconsider the compensation differences. The boom-bust nature of the industry, including global conflicts like the invasion of Ukraine and the siege on Gaza, causes job demand to fluctuate and is drawing more laborers to the rigs in need of oil production. However, the cost-of-living crisis and the threat of unemployment during industry busts are changing the calculus of employment, especially for younger workers who may be delaying investments in their education and transferable skills.

Oil rig workers face long shifts, working 14 days on the clock, 21 days off, often with 12-hour days and night shifts. They are rewarded with 12-hour days and night shifts, and life on the rig in confined spaces exposes them to high risk of injury and chemical exposure. The workers toil in hazardous conditions that have caused some of the highest rates of injuries and fatalities in the country, with concerns about fires, falls, fatigue, machinery malfunctions, and lack of safety culture on the rigs. Workers have also described brutal burns, maiming by equipment, and witnessing environmental degradation. In addition, marine ecosystems and nearby communities face threats from water contamination and dying sea animals due to seismic airguns used at oil rigs. Oceana has reported that these blasts can kill marine animals like sea turtles and fish.



Read more: Oil rig work is the hot job for many Americans with $55k starting pay and half a year in PTO