North Dakota Petroleum Workers Are Losing Their Jobs

The oil and gas industry is one of the backbones of North Dakota.

Next to farming and ranching, the exploration of oil, gas, and coal is one of the biggest parts of the North Dakota economy. Unfortunately, petroleum workers across the nation continue to lose jobs.

According to POLITICO, this is a result of a combination of lower oil prices, company cost-cutting measures, mergers, and ongoing changes toward energy transition. The big players in the oil world, like BP, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron, have all announced significant layoffs in 2025. More cuts are expected as companies tighten their belts in these current uncertain economic times.

Now, these cuts to the petroleum industry are happening right here in North Dakota.

According to the North Dakota Monitor, more than 100 North Dakota petroleum industry workers have received their pink slips. To be exact, 111 employees of Chevron in North Dakota will be laid off, a greater loss than initially expected after acquiring Hess Corporation.

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Chevron notified Job Service North Dakota that they are laying off 63 of its employees in Minot and 48 in Tioga on September 26th, 2025. 

It was initially thought that 70 employees of Chevron would be laid off, but that number increased significantly. Again, these firings are happening by the thousands across the nation. Government forecasters and energy analysts are predicting that crude oil prices could drop to the lowest levels since the COVID-19 shutdowns five years ago.