2014 a good year for Scotland’s oil and gas workers

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January 23rd, 2014

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North Sea oil and gas workers are set to pocket wage rises in 2014 as UK companies look to fend off a skills migration to companies overseas, a survey by recruitment website Oil and Gas People has found.

The survey of more than 10,000 staff concluded that wages in the UK were being inflated due to demand for skilled expats in Africa and the Middle East. The average North Sea wage is up 10% compared to the previous year and now cashes in at £80,960.

Offshore drilling workers, engineers and health and safety staff were among those who enjoyed the highest gains.

Kevin Forbes, chief executive of Oil and Gas People, explained how “many” UK candidates were heading abroad to earn higher wages “with a huge demand for qualified expats globally”.

“The only way the North Sea industry can keep them in the UK is to raise wages even higher or invest more in creating a new generation of highly skilled oil and gas workers,” he said.

Over two-thirds of those questioned expressed confidence in the future of the industry, with 56% citing tax breaks such as the heavy oil allowances linked to the Kraken project.

2014 a good year for Scotland’s oil and gas workers

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