Western Pennsylvania contractors and builders say they’re making inroads into the shale gas construction business, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune. More local workers mean fewer workers from Oklahoma and Texas, which is good news for the local economy.

But local employment from out-of-state companies wasn’t always the case.

Read it:

“About 1,600 of the 30,000 laborers, pipefitters, electricians and operators in the Pittsburgh Regional Building and Construction Trades Council’s territory work for Marcellus or Utica shale natural gas producers, midstream businesses that build and run pipelines or other industry players, said Rich Stanizzo, the council’s business manager and chairman of the Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania.

“We weren’t getting any of this work when they first came into town” about four years ago, Stanizzo said on Tuesday as the guild and the Marcellus Shale Coalition hosted a forum in the South Side for about 100 contractors and workers on how to land opportunities in shale development.”

Hiring increases

According to the Tribune, the shale gas industry has created roughly 234,000 jobs in the state. It’s estimated that 93 percent of recent hires are from the area.

Why not hire more local workers? Many companies are simply more comfortable with contractors they’ve worked with in the past. Companies are willing to house out-of-state employees in hotels or temporary housing during construction jobs.

It’s taken time, but more Pennsylvania workers are being hired by shale gas companies. Though drilling has slowed, many workers could work on the pipelines that will soon be coming to the state.

» Via: The Pittsburgh Tribune › Western Pennsylvania workers make inroads in landing shale gas jobs