About 12,000 people have lost jobs in Louisiana's oil and gas industry since 2014, according to the state's Workforce Commission. As the price of oil has fallen by more than half, companies are scaling back, and headlines about layoffs appear almost daily. Whether it's boat captains who deliver supplies and staff to offshore rigs, or land-based manufacturers of drilling equipment, Louisiana has an identity as a "Working Coast."
While oil prices are expected to rebound, no one can say when, and this industry contraction has already changed the lives and livelihoods of many Louisiana families. WWNO's Coastal Desk talked to workers and industry experts from Shreveport to Lafayette, to examine the current state of employment in Louisiana oil and gas.
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Derrick Hadley was born to work in the oil field — almost literally. His father named him after an oil rig, spelling and all.Derrick’s father spent his…
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Even as the price of oil drops, and offshore drilling slows down, huge amounts of crude oil keep flowing into Louisiana’s oil ports. The biggest is LOOP,…
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The oil and gas downturn has resulted in a loss of about 12,000 jobs across Louisiana over the past year. Many of those jobs are concentrated in smaller…
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In many ways, Patrick Kirton is a typical offshore worker. He grew up in Shreveport; his dad was in the industry; his older brother just retired from BP.…
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A sudden drop in oil prices last year has brought huge challenges to the state of Louisiana — more than 10,000 layoffs in the oil and gas sector and a…