Local jobseekers choosing to work in oilfield

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Published on Friday, 17 February 2012 14:11

Area faces shortage of trained, available construction workers

Dale Denwalt
Daily Elk Citian

In a boomtown like Elk City, community planners have seen plenty of "good economy" problems.

Hardly anyone is unemployed, which could lead to a stagnation of new hires and business growth. When that problem is solved by the importation of workers, they need a place to live. To build housing, developers need construction workers.

However, local contractors are saying there is a shortage of local building trade specialists, because many vocational workers have taken higher-paying oilfield jobs.

In Beckham County alone, oilfield workers make on average about $3,000 more per month than a construction worker, according to the Oklahoma Department of Labor.

Eddie Maddox, a mostly retired Elk City contractor, said construction workers are being brought in from other places.

"If someone wanted to invest and speculate on building a bunch of apartments, you could find plenty of workforce. You just have to bring them in from Oklahoma City, Amarillo or somewhere. But they're there," he said.

For instance, he said, Richardson Homes is building houses across western Oklahoma, but using city-based construction employees.

"There's workers available, but not right here in town because everybody's working in the oilfield," said Maddox. "But there's gobs of people in Oklahoma City that's in the workforce, and a bunch of them are out here working now."

Jerry Foshee is on the front lines of the construction workforce. As a teacher at Western Technology Center in Burns Flat, he produces entry-level workers who later go on to master trades in framing, cabinetry, sheetrock, roofing and others.

"There's not enough. There's not near enough," he said. "Even if we could produce them as a master mason, we still couldn't produce enough to build what we need to build right now."

WTC has anywhere from 12 to 18 construction students per year. There they learn by doing, said Superintendent Hoyt Lewis. Specifically, they learn by remodeling and building classrooms and offices at the former air force base.

"It gives them great practical experience in about every facet of construction," Lewis said. "They've poured concrete this year, they've put suspended ceilings in, tile work, painting."

Foshee said after two years for high school students or one year for adults, graduates of his program should have a general idea of what type of construction work they're interested in.

"By the time they get out of my class, they can figure out whether they like trim work, framing, roofing or whatever," he said.

But to master a trade, it will depend on how much work they do and which company they work for.

"Some people you could have under your wing for 10 years and they could never learn anything," said Foshee.

Labor statistics show that, typically, when the number of oilfield jobs decrease, the number of construction jobs go up. The figures also suggest that a jump in construction follows an oilfield boom by several months. The numbers are only as recent as the first quarter of 2011, but suggest both job categories may have leveled off after three years of fluctuation.

Money isn't the only thing recent WTC grads look at when choosing their first professional job.

"I placed one today at Sentinel" in construction, Foshee said. "That's what he wants to do. He has chances to go in the oilfield and he's choosing to stay in the construction area. It's what we prefer them to do, however, they're not going to make as much money in entry-level construction work as they will in entry-level oilfield work."

And while construction work has remained relatively stable for the past few years, energy is known for its sudden busts.

"Sometimes, young people don't see very far past the end of their nose," said Foshee.

Predictably, when the energy sector in western Oklahoma stalls, "You'll see a huge increase in enrollment," said Foshee.

"We were down a little bit the last few years because of the oilfield, but you can tell it fluctuates with the economy," he said.

The teacher also works in the private sector as a welder. He has found it difficult to find employees to help him complete a project.

"We'll run a couple of million dollars a year through it but it's hard to find help. We have to do it all ourselves," said Foshee.