Rigzone, a DHI service and the world’s premier oil & gas portal, along with The Right Group, a leading Australian employee research consultancy, conducted an employee engagement survey in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region to provide the industry with an overview of market and employee sentiment, hiring trends and perceived opportunities in the oil & gas industry.
“The survey results have given us deeper insights into the learning and development needs of oil & gas professionals,” saidJackie Kirk, APAC Regional Manager, Rigzone. “We set out to gauge how employees perceive their current situations in an effort to ascertain what employers can do to retain their best talent. With the impending onset of the Great Crew Change, it is imperative that employers are informed about the challenges and issues their employees face on a daily basis so that they can develop sustainable talent acquisition and retention strategies for coming years.”
In light of recent global developments, oil & gas professionals maintain a strong sense of loyalty to the industry. According to the survey, however, while 92 percent of respondents indicated that they are proud to be a part of the oil & gas workforce, only 67 percent are happy with the recognition that they receive from their current employers. These statistics show that, although employees are proud of the industry in which they work, a majority is seeking greater recognition for their professional contributions.
Respondents also voiced their reservations about the current benefits packages and professional training opportunities offered by their companies, with 50 percent of those surveyed indicating that their current benefit packages are less than ideal and 39 percent indicating that they would be willing to move for more learning opportunities. Compensation and benefits remain the primary consideration for professionals who are trying to decide whether they should stay at their current organisation or look to move elsewhere, with 77 percent responding that these two elements factor significantly into their decision-making process. This data suggests that, if companies want to recruit and retain the best talent, a good start would be to reconsider their present benefit offerings and professional training opportunities.
“As the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation retires, it is creating a big demographic shift in the oil & gas industry,” said Mrs Kirk. “The younger generation is the lifeblood of the oil & gas industry, but they expect opportunities to hone their skills rapidly. As young professionals ask for more exposure in different areas, there is a need for companies to provide more rigorous training and development programmes.”
“Moving forward, as the industry faces issues that includes scaling back hiring plans, the survey provides an overview on the health-check of the current crew and areas that companies can immediately address or enhance to ensure competitive performance,” Mrs Kirk concluded.
