Post -Displacement Employment in a Rural Community: Why Can't Women and Oil Mix?

Abstract

This is a study of post-displacement labor market experiences of workers in a rural southern community in which there is a significant presence of the oil and gas industry. Using a guided conversation format, I talked with 99 community members, including displaced workers, representatives of the oil and gas industry, community leaders, and social service agencies. These conversations were used to explore opportunities and constraints found within this community with labor market implications for those displaced. Conversations show that both individual and structural factors explain post-displacement employment of these (predominantly) females. Though an expanding oil and gas industry requires an adequate supply of labor, opportunities for females within the industry are limited. Rather, opportunities in services found in other industries within this community provide employment to most displaced workers, though differences exist in labor market outcomes between Asian and non-Asian workers. Increased labor market opportunities in non-oil and gas industries for displaced female workers are believed to result from community economic expansion directly and indirectly related to oil and gas industry expansion. Conversations with stakeholders are used to highlight the fact that perceptions or misconceptions of displaced workers by other community members contribute to displacement experiences and outcomes, affecting both workers and their families.