The oil patch searches for solutions to its labor woes
The petroleum industry faces down an old foe
There is a lot of talk right now about an impending labor shortage that could put a serious crimp in the oil and gas industry’s growth plans. The numbers are scary, with the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada forecasting the sector will need hundreds of thousands of new workers in the next couple of decades as baby boomers retire and new projects create all kinds of demand for skilled labor.
The problem isn’t new for the oil patch, but effective solutions have been in short supply when similar booms have arrived in the past. So is industry developing different strategies to address the challenge this time around? In the August issue of Alberta Oil, we examine this issue with our report on human resources and professional services.
On the human resources front, Graham Chandler – regular contributor to this magazine – brings us the story on some of the ways the petroleum sector is looking to tame a potential labor crisis. Our associate editor Jeff Lewis writes about how the shifting well profile in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin is requiring roughnecks to go back to school. This is leading to a better-trained workforce, but it also might be thinning the talent pool available to drilling companies. And what’s one way to ease labor shortages? How about getting more women trained to work in the construction trades? Intern Luke Muise brings you the story of an innovative program designed to do just that: Women Building Futures.
As for the professional services portion of our report, Anthony Davis has an interesting piece on the changing nature of professional services positions serving the oil and gas industry. If you are looking for a new career path, this is an article worth reading. Finally, Calgary’s emergence as one of the most important oil and gas centers in the world has Canadian law firms flocking to Cowtown. Jim Middlemiss reports on how it’s happened.
I should also highlight that this month a new blog debuts on our website – Executive Insider. We’re excited about this new content that you can only find on www.albertaoilmagazine.com. The new blog is written by Terrex Energy Inc. president and CEO Kim Davies, a Calgary-based junior oil company that’s in the business of enhanced oil recovery. Davies will be providing insight on what it takes to run a company in the competitive universe of juniors and intermediates. You can find her first post here.
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Entries
Great article, the growth forecasts are awesome, but we have to have workers to make it happen. We are lucky to live in Alberta and have so many jobs when most of the doesn’t
Cody:
Thanks for the reply. The petroleum industry really has its work cut out for it to avoid the labor shortfalls it experienced in past booms. I don’t think there is any way around them. But companies are doing what they can.