Since even the best techniques in use today recover only a portion of the oil and gas in a reservoir, petroleum engineers research and develop technology and methods to increase this proportion and lower the cost of drilling and production operations. Employment Petroleum engineers held about 12,000 jobs in 1998, mostly in the oil and gas extraction, petroleum refining, and related industries. Employers include major oil companies and hundreds of smaller, independent oil exploration, production, and service companies. Engineering consulting firms and government agencies also employ petroleum engineers. Others work as independent consultants.
Most petroleum engineers work where oil and gas are found.
Large numbers are employed in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, California, and Colorado, including offshore sites. Many American petroleum engineers also work overseas in oil-producing countries. Because petroleum engineers specialize in the discovery and production of oil and gas, relatively few are employed in the transportation and retail sectors of the oil and gas industry. Job Outlook Despite a projected decline in employment, opportunities for petroleum engineers should be favorable because the relatively small number of graduates is expected to be in rough balance with the number of job openings. Most opportunities will result from the need to replace petroleum engineers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.