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April 2023 - Oil and Gas

Europe is preferred location for oil and gas foreign transfer: A survey of oil and gas professionals has revealed that Europe is the leading destination for respondents who are seeking a foreign transfer.  More than a quarter of respondents (27%) said they would prefer to relocate to countries in Europe, followed by the Middle East (21%) and North America (14%). A further 14% expressed a desire to relocate to Asia, followed by Australasia (9%), Africa (6%), South America (4%), CIS (4%) and the least desirable location, Antarctica (1%)

The Airswift Global Energy Talent Index Report 2023 polled more than 10,000 energy professionals and hiring managers across a range of energy sectors, looking at salaries, global mobility, ESG, socioeconomic shifts, the energy transition and attracting and retaining talent. 

The proportion of workers who want to relocate has fallen (81%) for the third consecutive year, found the survey, down from 89% in 2021 and 91% in 2020, with the main reason cited being wanting to stay closer to family. This says the survey authors could possibly be due to the post pandemic desire to achieve a better work/life balance. 

The research also found that women may face more challenges when it comes to relocation with men more likely to get relocation assistance (30%) than women (18%). 

Attracting and retaining talent

The survey also looks at attracting and retaining talent, with 85% of respondents saying they are considering changing to another role. The leading driver for this was 'career progression', followed by 'interest in the eider industry' and 'ESG'

Eight in 10 respondents (80%) said they have been approached by another company about a potential job in the last year, with one in 10 respondents polled saying they have been approached 16 or more times. Interstingly, 40% of those who have been approached about a job role, reported that it was a role outside of the area of expertise. 

When oil and gas professionals were asked which energy sector they would consider moving to the most, renewables came out in top position (49%), followed by petrochemicals (31%), power (16%) and in last place, nuclear (4%). 

The most popular area outside of the energy sector to side-step to was technology, which more than a quarter of respondents said they would consider joining (27%). 

When respondents were asked what would have the most impact in a role when considering job satisfaction, half the respondents polled said 'salary', followed by 'benefits' (45%), working on exciting projects (41%), relationships with colleagues (40%), flexible working (35%) and 'feeling like I am contributing to society' (31%).   Other answers given included 'having a clearly defined career progression path' (21%), 'opportunities to relocate' (17%), and 'getting to work with cutting-edge tools and technologies' (13%).

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