The oil and gas sector has an age problem. The boom in exploration and development in the North Sea in the 1970s and 80s saw the creation of thousands of high-tech jobs and a flood of recruits entering the industry. But as the years went by, and resources started to dwindle, so recruitment slowed down and other sectors became more successful at attracting younger workers.
That backstory means the average age of a worker in the offshore oil and gas industry is rather high – almost 42 years. That figure is thought to be far higher among qualified roles, such as professional engineers. It is imperative, therefore, that the offshore sector works hard to attract younger employees, especially women, who make up a paltry 3.7% of the overall workforce.
It’s a challenge that isn’t wasted on Oil & Gas UK, the trade body that represents the offshore sector. It is working with member companies to attract more young people into the industry, across all levels from professional engineers through to catering staff.
A recent survey of demographics in the industry has given some cause for optimism. The research showed that there has actually been an increase in the number of people working offshore in the UK oil and gas industry since 2006, and the average age of the workforce has remained reasonably constant at just over 41 years. Positively, there are two-and-a-half times as many workers aged between 23 and 28 as there are aged between 60 and 65, indicating that the industry can attract new entrants.
“There are many positives, such as the increase we’re seeing in the number of workers travelling offshore and the big increase in the number of younger workers,” says Dr Alix Thom, Oil & Gas UK’s employment and skills issues manager. “These lead us to expect that in the next few years more people will join the industry and gain experience than those who leave through retirement or relocation.
“The average age of 41.4 – and 42.5 for core workers – falls in line with our expectations, particularly given a workforce of predominantly 20- to 60-year-olds.”
However, drill down into the data and the report highlights other areas of concern. “A decrease in the number of 35- to 49-year-olds gives us something to think about,” admits Thom.
“We know the industry considers many mid-career, engineering, managerial and professional scientist roles the most difficult to fill, with qualified and experienced workers in short supply.
“This is thought to be a result of skilled and experienced workers moving to work abroad in response to growing demand from a thriving industry around the world.
“We also know there is an under-representation of women in virtually all offshore roles, and the industry would benefit from tapping into this valuable resource more effectively. Oil & Gas UK is working closely with its members to develop a collaborative strategy to grow the talent pool further.”
In response to the survey report, Atlas, the learning and skills provider, says it is crucial that the industry maintains a strong focus on training to ensure that safety remains paramount and to ensure that there is no knowledge gap between experienced workers and new recruits.
Atlas chief executive John Rowley says that industry-wide learning programmes, such as Minimum Industry Safety Training (Mist), hold the key to maintaining high levels of safety and a highly skilled workforce. “The Mist online initiative is one example of training that is being undertaken across the whole of the supply chain, with an aim of increasing awareness and reducing incidents,” he says.
“Many business leaders are very aware of the need to plug the skills gap as experienced people reach the end of their careers. It is good that new people are coming into the industry but this creates its own challenges in terms of training and providing employees with the skills to develop their careers and for employers to invest in their people.
“People continue to see it as a challenging and rewarding career choice, but investment in training must remain a priority for employers and bodies such as Oil & Gas UK.”
Rowley says the report shows it is clear that there is an insufficient number of suitably qualified and experienced workers entering the offshore oil and gas sector to meet demand. He says that all interested parties must work together to ensure that a critical shortage of skilled and experienced workers is not allowed to develop.
Earlier this year Atlas launched its Knowledge Centre, delivering cloud-based learning to the oil and gas industry sector to improve work performance. Rowley says: “We live in a digital environment, and this is especially true of the younger members of the workforce who most need to grow their skills and knowledge quickly.
“They have grown up taking the 24/7 always-on world of information for granted. We have recognised that providing training tools that they can use when they need them benefits the individual and the organisation.”