Survey: Oil and gas jobs to increase in 2013

Hiring managers in the oil and gas industry plan to boost hiring in the second half of 2013 in the U.S., according to a national survey conducted by Rigzone, a resource for oil and gas information, data and talent recruitment.

Citing current market or economic conditions, nearly half of U.S.-focused hiring managers (48%) plan to boost hiring in the next six months. That compares to just eight percent of respondents who had a less favorable view of the market sparking a decrease in their hiring plans.

“The results are encouraging for oil and gas professionals who’ve seen new jobs created in the first part of the year, but at a slower pace than we’ve enjoyed in the past few years. While the overall hiring environment may be described as tempered, ratchet that description up several notches to flat-out, unbridled optimism for engineers,” said Paul Caplan, President of Rigzone.

Top 10 Most Wanted

Engineering positions dominate the list of new positions hiring managers are planning to recruit for in the second half of this year. The top ten positions are:

Mechanical Engineers Design Engineers Petroleum Engineers Electrical Engineers Reservoir Engineers Pipeline Engineers Health, Safety & Environment Managers Finance & Accounting talent Production Engineers Process Engineers

Tighter Market, Tougher Talent
Nearly half of hiring managers (48%) said they are not seeing an increase in the number of candidates applying for positions, as compared to six months ago. At the same time, professionals who are interested in new positions are upping their demands. More than half (54%) of hiring managers and recruiters said candidates are asking for more money than they were just six months ago.

Companies are balancing the need to attract and retain talent. On the question of counteroffers, hiring managers were nearly split, with 39 percent saying – yes – they are seeing or making more counter offers than six months ago and 40 percent stating that is not the case.

More than half (55%) of hiring managers and recruiters said they anticipate a shift to more full-time employment in 2013, as compared to 2012. That compares to 34 percent of respondents who intend to hire more contractors, 26 percent who plan to utilize staffing more, and 21 percent who anticipate a hiring increase for rotational workers. However, there are more hiring managers (18%) who expect to hire fewer part-time workers in 2013, which outstrips the 15 percent of respondents who anticipated hiring more part-time staff.

One-third (33%) of managers said the length of time to fill open positions has increased relative to last year. Those who saw the time it takes to fill open positions lengthened attributed the wait to a lack of available talent, with 71 percent citing an inability to find qualified professionals. Less than a quarter (22%) of hiring managers and recruiters said the time it takes to fill open positions is shortening, primarily attributing the decrease to companies recruiting for new positions.

About the survey
From May 21 to May 24, 2013 Rigzone surveyed hiring managers and recruiters who primarily recruit for U.S. energy professionals. Covering upstream, midstream, downstream, corporate and college recruiting, 183 responded to the survey, with 30 percent representing companies that have more than 5,000 employees.