Marcellus shale companies expect to hire more than 2,000 new employees in 2014, according to a workforce survey released by the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC).
Last year, 83% of new hires came from five states that overlay the Marcellus and Utica shales, namely Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, and Maryland.
The majority of hires, 76%, were male. The most active area of recruitment was southern Pennsylvania.
MSC said 61 member companies responded to the survey. Respondents account for 95% of Pennsylvania production.
"Attracting and retaining a high-quality, local workforce is a key tenet of our guiding principles. By nearly all metrics-and with Pennsylvania's unemployment at its lowest level since September 2008 and well below the national average-we continue to make positive progress on this important commitment," said MSC Pres. Dave Spigelmyer.
Most new hires, 26.5%, went to work in engineering and construction. Another 22.9% were assigned to equipment operations, followed by 15.2% in operations and maintenance; 8% in administration; 7% in land; and 5% in environmental, health and safety.
The top recruiting challenges were finding and competing for qualified talent, compensation, and a reluctance to relocate. Positions in the engineering and construction subsector were the most difficult to fill.