A new report has warned that oil industry safety standards are being threatened by a shortage of experienced staff and skilled trainers.
The findings were presented in a joint report by OilCareers.com, the international jobs board for the oil and gas industry, and its partner Air Energi, a global provider of manpower solutions to the energy sector.
The Global Oil & Gas Workforce Survey drew information and opinions from more than 170,000 oil and gas professionals worldwide.
All seven major oil and gas producing regions were represented in the survey with more than 15,500 of respondents said to be direct recruiters or senior decision makers.
Mark Guest, managing director of OilCareers.com, said the report underscored how the oil and gas industry would face an ongoing challenge ensuring the right personnel are on the ground in the right place.
“The recent tragic events in Algeria have served to further underline existing safety concerns throughout the oil and gas industry”, he said.
“It has long been the case that positions in certain geographic areas attract a higher level of remuneration to reflect the safety issues associated with the work location. Companies working in these locations take the security of their personnel very seriously and work to protect them and ensure their working environment is as safe as possible.”
Mr Guest continued: “The 2013 H1 survey and predictions for H2 confirm these safety inflation pressures are being reflected throughout the industry. In addition it should be noted that without the right personnel in place to train the next generation the skills shortage is likely to continue and to become a bigger problem.”
Ian Langley, group executive chairman of Air Energi, added that over 34% of respondents perceived economic instability as the “biggest threat” to today’s oil and gas industry.
“The skills shortage”, Mr Langley relayed, “was a very close second with 32% viewing this as being a major challenge to overcome. In particular the shortage of subsea and LNG personnel is being felt throughout the industry and has a knock on effect in terms of project costs and delays.”
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