Employment in the U.S. oilfield services and equipment sector (OFS) advanced in January along with an overall surge in jobs to start the new year.

OFS employment rose by an estimated 3,069 jobs to 652,090 last month, according to an analysis of federal data by the Energy Workforce & Technology Council.

The January increase made OFS employment the highest since March 2020, when widespread coronavirus outbreaks reached the United States. The sector continued to march closer to the pre-pandemic level in February 2020 of 706,528, according to the council.

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