Labour shortage looms in oilpatch, report warns

[msommers]

Labour shortage looms in oilpatch, report warns
The Edmonton Journal
Tue 22 Jun 2010
Page: E3
Section: Business
Byline: Dan Healing
Dateline: CALGARY
Source: Calgary Herald; Canwest News Service

A survey of oilpatch employers adds to growing evidence that the industry is headed for a labour supply crunch resulting from stable oil prices and the resurrection of deferred oilsands projects.

A survey of 135 Canadian oil, gas and utility companies by human resources consultant Mercer suggests that with even modest growth the industry will be short 24,000 employees nationally by 2014.

The study results back up a report earlier this month by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada that warned a severe oilpatch labour shortage could occur as early as next year and that the industry could require 100,000 new workers in the next decade.

Both studies show that the biggest demands will be for workers to replace retirees.

"Current recruitment and retention practices may need to be retooled to address demographic challenges, widening workforce gaps and looming talent shortfalls," Mercer said in a news release.

"Workforce planning is more important than ever for those employers wishing to avoid the market frenzy that was observed in 2006-07."

The survey found baby boomers, aged 45 and older, account for more than 40 per cent of the Canadian energy-sector workforce. Workers under 35 make up just 30 per cent.

Seventy-two per cent of workers have fewer than 10 years of service with their company while more than 30 per cent have fewer than two years, the survey showed.

An email from work.

My feeling is this has to do more with field workers than professional positions. If it's true, wait for the flood of eastern workers again...

[Cos]

Yeah I dont think this takes into account Engg and Tech positions AS MUCH as I know a few people still looking for something better. Plus just because there are 24,000 jobs, doesnt mean they are GOOD jobs.

I know for me to find a replacement job as good as I have it right now would be difficult.

[5G_celica]

this is good new... but it'l make it a lot more difficult for me to move back to the westcoast. haha

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Cos
Yeah I dont think this takes into account Engg and Tech positions AS MUCH as I know a few people still looking for something better. Plus just because there are 24,000 jobs, doesnt mean they are GOOD jobs.

I know for me to find a replacement job as good as I have it right now would be difficult.

4th ST and 15th Ave? Except they won't provide lube....

[Cos]

Originally posted by codetrap


4th ST and 15th Ave? Except they won't provide lube....

haha, CRA will let me write it off as a work expense

[ZenOps]

Its hard work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Zasyadko_mine_disaster

"You haul Sixteen Tons, whadaya get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store"

My suggestion if you want to make money in oil, buy up one of those old rusty unmanned stripper wells. All you need is about 6 barrels per day and you are good ($400) half of which is probably profit. In a couple years - buy up the mining rights to another field, and then explore and find a 20+ BPD well, and then stick the cheapest ass well you can find and plunk it down there too.

Keep on building 20+ BPD wells, and then finally buy up something in one of the big players. Congratz, you are now an oil tycoon.

[Xtrema]

It's hard work.

Most of engineering design has been done. It's just copy and paste as new mines get build.

You will definitely need more operation staff for mines, upgraders and refineries but most of those jobs are dirty work.

[911fever]

wow, that's a big shortage.
for quality money I would move back to AB for the oilpatch.

[FraserB]

:clap:

Graduate next April.

:clap:

[Feruk]

Workforce shortages across the petroleum industry as a whole are expected to return in 2012 as new jobs are created and existing workers retire, warns a new report from the Petroleum Human Resources Council Of Canada.

According to the report, Supply/Demand Analysis 2009-2020, approximately 105,000 workers will be needed over the next 10 years to support new oil and gas activity and replace retiring workers. Of those, approximately 65,000 will be in the industry’s core occupations, such as engineers, trades, operators and field workers.

The oilsands will provide the greatest number of new employment positions versus replacement positions while the exploration and production (E&P) and the services sectors will remain industry's biggest employers.

Workforce shortages mean industry, employment, training and educational institutions and governments need to develop strategies to attract, retain and develop a skilled workforce for the upstream petroleum industry, says the report.

From a few weeks ago on the Daily Oil Bulletin.

[g-m]

Originally posted by FraserB
:clap:

Graduate next April.

:clap: its not really for engineers if you're in engg. Its as hard as ever for us. Its targeting the rig pigs mostly.

[ExtraSlow]

Not so sure about that, Engineers are going to be in short supply in the next five years, and forward looking companies are starting to hire now for that.
the demographics for Petroleum professionals are heavily skewed towards the 50+ crowd, and a lot of those folks are going to retire shortly. There is a relative scarcity o the 30-50 year old range.

BTW, if anyone in the Drilling or Completions Engineering fields is looking for a change, PM me. My company is looking for a dozen positions from new grad to senior.

[msommers]

Forward thinking is the key word there. One of the VPs I sat down with a couple months ago mentioned that a lot of companies aren't willing to train like they used to (cost reasons it sounded like), let alone do much hiring of new grads. Some of it can be justified I suppose. Like how many people have 5+ years experience working unconventional? Even still, lack of proper training coupled with, all the sudden companies quickly needing to replace the seniors with only new grads (or even less than 2-3 years experience) just reeks of cluster fuck.

[LollerBrader]

Originally posted by msommers


An email from work.

My feeling is this has to do more with field workers than professional positions. If it's true, wait for the flood of eastern workers again...

My feeling is that the problem isn't a shortage of workers, it's a shortage of CHEAP workers, and that someone's laying the groundwork to import foreign labor.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by LollerBrader


My feeling is that the problem isn't a shortage of workers, it's a shortage of CHEAP workers, and that someone's laying the groundwork to import foreign labor.

ding ding ding... we have a winner!

[ExtraSlow]

If anyone is looking for office jobs. TAQA North has about thirty posted.
Devon has 19 posted for the Calgary office right now. Plus several for the field. Anyone want to live in Conklin? If anyone is ACTUALLY QUALIFIED for one of the Devon postings, PM me. If you are unqualified, and you'd like me to stick my neck out for you anyway, I'll refer you for $5k.

Rigzone has a stack of listing for office jobs. Plus all the usual field stuff.

Probably a good time to get on Frac crews, since the cardium play and shale gas are both very frac intensive.

[g-m]

the magic number seems to be 5+

[Cos]

Originally posted by g-m
the magic number seems to be 5+

:confused:

[g-m]

years of experience. I went through every job that extraslow referred to in Alberta and none required less than 5 years of experience. Engineering jobs that is.

[Cos]

oh gotcha. Yeah at 5 years things open up and at 10 things REALLY seem to take off

[ExtraSlow]

Some positions that list 5+ years experience end up being filled with people with 3 years experience. Sometimes. Don't let that stop you from applying.
That's also a good cue for anyone without experience to jump on a job if they can find it, regardless of annoying locations or field work. it pays off big.

[derran.m]

I just don't believe they are saying this ... I have applied at probably 80-90% of the O&G companies in western Canada as a labourer and been denied by the majority of them, and the rest just ain't paying enough to consider it. As mentioned previously, this is a scream for the foreign workers to come in. Likely because alot of them came over during the last labour shortage, and now their work visa's are expiring .. good example of that is here in High River ... pretty much every job here was taken by a philipino ... now they are all going back home, tons of retail and food service jobs available, and every second house is for rent again because the philipino's are no longer there...

[The_gateway]

I think the reality is that it's thousands of cheap jobs...Oil companies want to look at fattening their bottom line and reducing their costs.

[derpderp]

This is me reading this thread --> :banghead:

I wish the Government didn't allow this kind of behaviour.

[g-m]

just stay at it, I just got a SIIIIIIICK job and am so happy! And who doesn't want the summer off anyway? It was looking pretty grim though tbh

[Scuderia]

Yeah I really don't understand this... alot of people I know, including myself, have tried getting into the OG field doing anything, and not many companies are hiring.

[g-m]

Have you looked into a position up north? People were telling me if I didn't get a job I would have to go be an operator for a year or other comparable job just to even be considered for some of the calgary positions. I know a few people who went this route and things are looking up after only 4 months. One of them is now based in calgary after doing 4 months in the field of 12 hour days as an operator.

[gpomp]

just because everyone is hiring doesn't mean they will hire anybody...

my company is hiring operators but you pretty much have to have a class 3 and oil field experience.

[rc2002]

I think the shortage is mostly skilled workers.

There are a lot of people willing to work, but not many people with valuable experience. If you have good experience you can pretty well name your price right now.

[Nav13]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Not so sure about that, Engineers are going to be in short supply in the next five years, and forward looking companies are starting to hire now for that.
the demographics for Petroleum professionals are heavily skewed towards the 50+ crowd, and a lot of those folks are going to retire shortly. There is a relative scarcity o the 30-50 year old range.

BTW, if anyone in the Drilling or Completions Engineering fields is looking for a change, PM me. My company is looking for a dozen positions from new grad to senior.

Any chance your company is looking to hire a new grad geophysicist? Or any other entry level positions?

[badatusrnames]

Originally posted by g-m
years of experience. I went through every job that extraslow referred to in Alberta and none required less than 5 years of experience. Engineering jobs that is.

:werd: It's really tough to break in with a company as a new grad if you don't have summer or co-op/internship experience with them.

It's a chicken or the egg type thing, a lot of companies want experienced people, yet don't want to commit to generating these experienced people.