Friday 26 May 2017

Energy workers and hiring managers ‘not on same page’

Energy workers and hiring managers ‘not on same page’

There is a growing disparity between the expectations of employees and hiring managers in several parts of the energy sector.

That's according to Airswift and Energy Jobline’s Global Energy Talent Index (GETI), which asked 16,000 workers from 156 countries what they thought about the industry they work in.

In oil and gas, 44% of employees expect sector recovery in the next year. However, the majority of hiring managers expect this to take at least 18 months.

Around 68% of hiring managers expect to hire less than 10 people over the next six months.

The report suggests graduates are reluctant to get involved with the older and seemingly less eco-friendly industry, compared with newer, greener sectors.

Workers and hiring managers in the power sector want to see more graduate and apprenticeship schemes, amid concerns about a skills gap and the low level of new entrants.

They also reported a huge gender imbalance, with women accounting for under 8% of the workforce.

Europe has the least optimistic outlook for pay, with some workers fearing salaries could fall as hiring managers look towards Asia, the Middle East and North America as key hot spots.

Four out of five hiring managers in the renewable sector believe there is a skills shortage, compared to just under a third in oil and gas.

However, oil and gas professionals said the clean energy sector was the most interesting industry to move into.

Almost half of renewable energy employers said they were not currently hiring and 18% said they had let more than a tenth of their workforce go in the last year, even though the sector's workforce is growing at a rate of 5% a year.

The report shows the nuclear industry has an ageing workforce and needs to recruit new professionals - 54% of staff are aged over 45 years old and all respondents felt that a skills gap exists in the industry.

It also has the highest proportion of people unwilling to move sector, at 16%.

Janette Marx, Chief Operating officer at Airswift, said: "GETI’s results show us that there is still work to be done in terms of how, when and from where the energy industry attracts talent.

"To preserve the pipeline of budding innovators and seasoned operators, hiring managers have to pay attention to what truly matters to the workforce - GETI’s results show the workforce and hiring managers are not always on the same page."

A new energy park being developed in Hull could bring 1,000 jobs to the area.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

Trending Articles