Oil and gas industry employment data: FOI release

Information requested

Please can you tell me how many people are estimated to be employed in the oil and gas industry in Scotland at the present date?

Please can you tell me how that number compares to 2025 and 2024 please?

Do you also have these figures for the number of jobs supported by the oil and gas industry?

Response

All of the information you have requested is available from Nomis (link), OEUK (link) and the Scottish Government (link). Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. However, I have provided it below for ease.

Official statistics for the number of oil and gas jobs in Scotland for 2025 will be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in November of this year (accessible via Nomis (link)). I have copied in a table below with jobs figures for Scotland from 2020 to 2024, which I hope will be of help. These are taken from the ONS Business Registers and Employment Survey (BRES) and include jobs in the following sectors (I have included the relevant Standard Industrial Classification or SIC codes):

6.1 Extraction of crude petroleum
6.2 Extraction of natural gas
9.1 Support activities for petroleum and natural gas extraction

	6.1 Extraction of crude petroleum	6.2 Extraction of natural gas	9.1 Support activities for petroleum and natural gas extraction	Oil and Gas Jobs	Change
2020	11,000	50	14,000	25,050
2021	9,000	25	13,000	22,025	-3,025
2022	9,000	20	14,000	23,020	995
2023	9,000	15	13,000	22,015	-1,005
2024	9,000	25	15,000	24,025	2,010

Source: ONS BRES accessed via Nomis

Note: the sector coverage used here is consistent with that used in analysis by EY for the Scottish Government and analysis done by Oxford Economics on behalf of OEUK to estimate direct jobs in the sector. EY Energy System and Just Transition Analysis (link) – see Baseline Data Updates at the bottom of the web page. Oxford Economics report for OEUK (link)

Figures for the number of wider or indirect jobs supported by the sector are not produced as official statistics, Official statistics do not track precisely which jobs in the wider economy are linked to oil and gas. This is typically done using economic frameworks or models using official statistics on total spending by the Oil and Gas to estimate wider jobs supported across the economy. For example, using the linkages for different sectors of the economy as set out in the input-output tables. The impact analysis includes a number of judgements and assumptions.

Oxford Economics estimates that in 2024, the Scottish oil and gas sector supported 118,400 jobs. This figure includes the direct jobs in the table above, as well as jobs supported in the immediate supply chain (referred to as indirect jobs) and jobs supported by Oil &Gas sector spending in the wider economy (referred to as induced jobs). EY have provided equivalent figures for the Scottish Government, using the same underlying methodology, but differing assumptions on how Oil & Gas sector spending permeates through the supply chain and the wider economy. In that analysis, which is for 2022, there were an estimated 72,940 jobs supported by the O&G sector.

Annex: Explanation of SIC codes used for direct jobs estimates:

6.1 Extraction of crude petroleum

This class includes: extraction of crude petroleum oils, extraction of bituminous or oil shale and tar sand, production of crude petroleum from bituminous shale and sand processes to obtain crude oils: decantation, desalting, dehydration, stabilisation etc.

This class excludes: support activities for oil and natural gas extraction, oil and gas exploration (SIC 9.1) manufacture of refined petroleum products, recovery of liquefied petroleum gases in the refining of petroleum (SIC 19.2) operation of pipelines, SIC (49.5).

6.2 Extraction of natural gas

This class includes: production of crude gaseous hydrocarbon (natural gas), extraction of condensates draining and separation of liquid hydrocarbon fractions, gas desulphurisation and mining of hydrocarbon liquids, obtained through liquefaction or pyrolysis.

This class excludes: support activities for oil and natural gas extraction, oil and gas exploration, (SIC 9.1), recovery of liquefied petroleum gases in the refining of petroleum, (SIC 19.2), manufacture of industrial gases, (SIC 20.11) and operation of pipelines, (SIC 49.5).

9.1 Support activities for petroleum and natural gas extraction

This class includes the following oil and gas extraction service activities provided on a fee or contract basis: exploration services in connection with petroleum or gas extraction, e.g. traditional prospecting methods, such as making geological observations at prospective sites; directional drilling and redrilling; “spudding in”; derrick erection in situ, repairing and dismantling; cementing oil and gas well casings; pumping of wells; plugging and abandoning wells etc.; liquefaction and regasification of natural gas for purpose of transport, done at the mine site; draining and pumping services, on a fee or contract basis; test drilling in connection with petroleum or gas extraction. This class also includes: oil and gas field fire-fighting services.

This class excludes: service activities performed by operators of oil or gas fields (SIC 6.1, 6.2), specialised repair of mining machinery, (SIC 33.12), liquefaction and regasification of natural gas for purpose of transport, done off the mine site, (SIC 52.21) and geophysical, geologic and seismic surveying, (SIC 71.12).

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