Worried about a future in the oil and gas industry?
Don't be.
The career prospects for this industry are strong, and
growing.
An aging workforce means the industry will have to hire at least
39,000 new workers over the next 10 years, and perhaps as many as
130,000 if the industry grows rapidly.
Future High-Demand Careers
Future high-demand careers will track energy prices. For
example, if the price of oil is high and the price of natural gas
stays low, expect to see the Oil sands sector grow quickly, while
traditional drilling for natural gas slows.
The Petroleum HR Council has done a lot of research and worked
with industry to find out what workers will be needed in the
industry depending on expansion and energy prices. Here are the
results:
Low Growth
If oil and natural gas prices are low the industry's workforce
will still need to hire about 39,000 workers just to replace the
workers lost because of retirements.
In this case, the largest demand will be for:
- Mining engineers
- Heavy-duty equipment
mechanics
- Industrial electricians
- Drilling coordinators/production
managers.
Moderate Growth
If prices for oil are high but prices for natural gas are low,
expect to see the Oil sands sector expand while drilling for
natural gas slows. In this case the big demand will be for:
- Mining engineers
- Heavy-duty equipment
mechanics
- Industrial electricians.
There will also be demand for:
- Chemical engineers
- Chemical engineering technologists
- Mechanical engineers
- Heavy equipment operators
- Electrical/instrumentation
engineers
- Crane operators
- Operators (steam and
non-steam)
- Drafting technologists and
technicians
- Millwrights and
machinists
- Welders.
High Growth
If prices for both oil and natural gas are high, expect a high
demand for workers right across the industry, with shortages
returning for all occupations by 2013.
Careers in the highest demand will be:
- Drilling coordinators/production
managers
- Geologists and
geophysicists
- Landmen/purchasing agents
- Mining engineers
- Industrial electricians
- Heavy-duty equipment
mechanics
- Drafting technologists and
technicians
- Millwrights and
machinists
- Mining/geological/petroleum
engineering technologists
- Industrial engineering
technologists
- Project/cost control
engineers
For More…
For more Labour Market Information about Canada's oil and gas
industry, visit Petroleum HR Council's website at www.petrohrsc.ca. There you
will find analysis and data about the current state of the
petroleum labour market and detailed projections about how it will
evolve in the coming years.