January 2019
Featured in this insight: Oil & gas
Half of oil and gas professionals fear industry skills shortage: Workers in the oil and gas industry are fearful of a skills crisis – which could get worse over the next five years.
The Global Energy Talent Index (GETI) study polled 17,000 industry professionals, 48% of which said they were concerned about the impending shortage of skilled workers.
According to respondent feedback, one in four (40%) felt that the industry was already in the throes of a crisis, while just under one in three (28%) think the effects will be felt in the next half decade
The report by Airswift, the global workforce solutions provider for the energy, process and infrastructure sectors, and Energy Jobline said the lack of available talent was because of the reduction in graduate recruitment and apprenticeships during the oil downturn.
What workers want
The report also looked at what attracted younger workers to a role in oil and gas and found where salaries used to be a huge pull for new employees, more workers were seeking positions which offered the potential for career progression. Nine out of ten (91%) professionals said they would consider relocating for their job.
Also highlighted was the competition between sectors for workers. The biggest source of competition for oil and gas comes from renewables, with 42% of the respondents open to changing sectors, drawn to the industry.
There was still optimism to be found, however, with 81% of those under 25 polled saying they are still enthusiastic about pursuing a career in oil and gas.
Hannah Peet, managing director at Energy Jobline, said:
"Leaders and hiring managers recognise that the world has changed and the desires of young people are different, with only 30% of those aged under 25 believing that higher pay effectively attracts talent.
"The trick now is to respond by working to provide individuals with more opportunities to grow their careers, travel and work with new technologies."
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