With its close proximity to the Permian Basin, Midland’s population ebbs and flows with the oil market. In the past, oil workers would come and go as jobs were available but after a crash in 2014, many of them decided to stay and wait for a resurgence in the market.
David Hunn, reporter for the Houston Chronicle, spoke with many Midland residents who found ways to make ends meet between oil booms. Some residents opened food trucks, went back to school, or cut back on personal budgets, Hunn says. But people are already seeing an increase in oil jobs again and they’re hopeful for more.
“They hung on, they stuck it out, they were gritty and did whatever they needed to do,” Hunn says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– The likelihood that the Permian Basin oil market will bounce back
– How the city of Midland benefits from oil workers sticking around between booms
– The type of work unemployed oil workers are finding in Midland
By Emma Whalen.
