About 75 workers are directly employed by the drilling of one well, although only four to seven may be on duty at the rig at any given time. The actual number can vary considerably, depending on the type of well being drilled.

The personnel employed at various times during drilling might include:

• 2 surveyors
• 3 five-person rig crews and a supervisor
• 1 wellsite consultant
• 3 lease-construction workers
• 8 truckers
• 1 water hauler
• 3 fuel dealers
• 3 bit suppliers
• 2 casing employees
• 1 mud supplier
• 1 welder
• 2 coring workers
• 4 well-logging employees
• 2 testing employees
• 4 camp caterers
• 5 service-rig crew members
• 6 reclamation services workers
• 2 pumping equipment suppliers
• 3 stimulators and perforators
• 2 road and site preparation workers 
• 2 operator personnel
• 2 equipment manufacturing workers
• Other personnel involved in safety, sales, accounting, clerical, computers and management

The rigs operate around the clock, seven days a week, and the crews typically work 12-hour shifts for two weeks and then have a week off. The workers sometimes live in a temporary camp on site.