Canada: The New 'Land of Job Opportunity'

Canada is being proactive in its recruiting efforts by searching the globe to fill much-needed positions in the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of oil sands production has made oil critical to the Canadian economy and with more than $100 billion invested in oil sands over the past 10 years, economic and political power has shifted westward to Alberta. It is estimated that production is connected to 75,000 jobs nationwide, and this number is expected to increase over the next 25 years.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates that Canada's current production of 3.2 million barrels of oil a day will reach 6.2 million barrels a day by 2030, with oil sands representing majority of this output. Additionally, it is estimated that $283.4 billion will be spent developing new oil sands projects by 2035, noted the Conference Board of Canada. With an increase in production, the demand for skilled employees will surge.

Essentially, conventional oil and gas producers need additional workforce to produce a barrel of oil or a cubic foot of gas today compared to 10 years ago. Canada's oil and gas industry will need to fill a minimum of 9,500 jobs by 2015, according to a report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada.

Between now and 2015, the country's oil and gas industry is at risk of losing about 3 percent of its overall workforce because of obstinately low natural gas prices, according to the report "Canada's Oil and Gas Labour Market Outlook 2015". Two primary factors, growth in certain operations and age-related attrition across the industry, will offset most job losses and contribute to increased overall hiring needs, the report stated.

"It is a national problem," said Francis McGuire, chief executive officer of Moncton, N.B.-based Major Drilling Group International Inc., to the Globe and Mail. "It is very difficult to attract people. Salaries are very good … but they don't want to be out with the black flies and the snow and the cold and sleeping in camp and being away from home for 21 days at a time."

By 2015, employment in the oil-sands sector is projected to increase by 29 percent over 2011 levels, or about 5,850 jobs. The pipeline sector is estimated to add 530 jobs over the same period. Both sectors will need to amp recruiting efforts for turnover and replacing retiring workers. Looking forward, Canadian oil and gas employment is expected to rise to 145,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is a complex labor story," said Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum HR Council, in a released statement. "At a granular level, we're seeing high demand for, and reduced supply of, skilled workers in specific occupations, many of which are unique to the oil and gas industry. And employee turnover is the wild card that could have recruiters working to fill hundreds of additional job openings over the next four years."

In March 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney outlined his vision for a faster, more responsive immigration system that is designed to better meet the country's economic needs.

"Immigration is playing an increasingly important role in our economy and we need a system that does a better job of attracting the people who have the skills that are in demand and getting them here quickly," said Minister Kenney in a released statement. "We have made some great strides towards an immigration system that is fast and flexible, but know that there is more work to do."

In his speech, he highlighted recent changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, where current applicants must have experience in one of 29 occupations in demand, or have a job offer in Canada.

One of the largest supply-chain effects associated with oil-sands investment is in the oilfield services industry. For every billion dollars of inflation-adjusted investment, 745 jobs are supported, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Total employment in the oil and gas sector has risen from 57,000 in 2001 to 96,000 in 2011.

Oil and gas well servicers, which include derrick operators, rotary drill operators, service unit operators, drillers and testers, are the high-demand occupations in Calgary, based on the "Calgary Labour Demand Forecast 2012" report. In 2010, there were an estimated 2,200 oil and gas well servicers in the Calgary labor force, but between that year and 2020, demand for these workers will increase by 40 percent, resulting in the demand for about 3,100 workers in 2020.

Also, according to current recruitment trends, employers will likely face difficulties recruiting qualified workers for both newly-created jobs and existing positions that become vacant.

"Technical personnel are the No. 1 positions I have noticed that are in demand," stated Neil Williams, general manager of Professionalcare Staffing Inc. in Calgary, to Rigzone. "The jobs have to be filled – there's no question about it. We are importing as many people as allowed. We are training and educating and filling vacant positions but the need is so great."

A portion, or if needed, a majority of the vacant positions in Calgary may need to be recruited through labor markets outside of Calgary, including international labor markets, noted the report. The Calgary Economic Development (CED) has identified the best cities and regions for recruiting workers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The top-recommended cities for recruiting these workers include:

Houston, TexasDallas-Fort Worth, TexasCorpus Christi, TexasLongview-Marshall, TexasOdessa, TexasOklahoma City, Okla.Tulsa, Okla.Bakersfield, Calif.Lafayette, La.Shreveport, La.

Nine of the top 10 recommended U.S. cities for recruitment are located in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Houston offers the largest total labor force with roughly 9,300 workers, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 3,000 workers. Furthermore, Longview-Marshall and Odessa, Texas, as well as Oklahoma City offer a younger oil and gas labor force with high out-migration probability index scores, the report noted.

"We can't just recruit from America, we have to look elsewhere considering the shale boom that is currently going on down south," stated Williams. "Americans are busy. We have to look beyond North America but where development is booming – Angola, Brazil and Australia – these candidates are too busy with development, as well. So where do we look? That's the million- dollar question."

In addition, oil and gas well servicers in the top-recommended cities could potentially earn higher incomes by relocating to Calgary. The U.S. average salary for oil and gas well servicers was about $48,000 in 2010, while in Calgary the base pay for these workers averaged at $61,000 per year.

"With the oil sands coming on-stream more and more with every passing year, the draw of people from every sector into oil and gas is going to become stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for employers in other parts of the economy to find qualified people," said Richard Truscott, director of provincial affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to the Globe and Mail.

With so many vacant positions in Calgary, more and more Americans are relocating to Canada and dubbing it the "land of opportunity" according to a 2011 report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years – about 280,636 permanent residents.

And there are programs in the United States that are targeting Americans to relocate to Canada. Grice Energy, recruiting specialists providing workers for the energy industry, launched a Boots to Energy project, to place veterans into the oil and gas industry. Although the program hasn't placed anyone in Canada, yet, "we are working both with the American State Department and the Canadian Consul General's office to try to lower the barriers of entry that now exist," stated Rick Grice, president of Grice Energy, to Rigzone. The American Chamber of Commerce in Calgary is also involved in this effort.

"Our mission is to connect our returning heroes with energy companies who need and respect them," he added. "If the barriers to immigration are relaxed in order to bring in the labor force needed, the effect must naturally be positive."

A condensed version of this article originally appeared March 27, 2013 on Rigzone.

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Canada: The New 'Land of Job Opportunity'

Canada is being proactive in its recruiting efforts by searching the globe to fill much-needed positions in the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of oil sands production has made oil critical to the Canadian economy and with more than $100 billion invested in oil sands over the past 10 years, economic and political power has shifted westward to Alberta. It is estimated that production is connected to 75,000 jobs nationwide, and this number is expected to increase over the next 25 years.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates that Canada's current production of 3.2 million barrels of oil a day will reach 6.2 million barrels a day by 2030, with oil sands representing majority of this output. Additionally, it is estimated that $283.4 billion will be spent developing new oil sands projects by 2035, noted the Conference Board of Canada. With an increase in production, the demand for skilled employees will surge.

Essentially, conventional oil and gas producers need additional workforce to produce a barrel of oil or a cubic foot of gas today compared to 10 years ago. Canada's oil and gas industry will need to fill a minimum of 9,500 jobs by 2015, according to a report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada.

Between now and 2015, the country's oil and gas industry is at risk of losing about 3 percent of its overall workforce because of obstinately low natural gas prices, according to the report "Canada's Oil and Gas Labour Market Outlook 2015". Two primary factors, growth in certain operations and age-related attrition across the industry, will offset most job losses and contribute to increased overall hiring needs, the report stated.

"It is a national problem," said Francis McGuire, chief executive officer of Moncton, N.B.-based Major Drilling Group International Inc., to the Globe and Mail. "It is very difficult to attract people. Salaries are very good … but they don't want to be out with the black flies and the snow and the cold and sleeping in camp and being away from home for 21 days at a time."

By 2015, employment in the oil-sands sector is projected to increase by 29 percent over 2011 levels, or about 5,850 jobs. The pipeline sector is estimated to add 530 jobs over the same period. Both sectors will need to amp recruiting efforts for turnover and replacing retiring workers. Looking forward, Canadian oil and gas employment is expected to rise to 145,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is a complex labor story," said Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum HR Council, in a released statement. "At a granular level, we're seeing high demand for, and reduced supply of, skilled workers in specific occupations, many of which are unique to the oil and gas industry. And employee turnover is the wild card that could have recruiters working to fill hundreds of additional job openings over the next four years."

In March 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney outlined his vision for a faster, more responsive immigration system that is designed to better meet the country's economic needs.

"Immigration is playing an increasingly important role in our economy and we need a system that does a better job of attracting the people who have the skills that are in demand and getting them here quickly," said Minister Kenney in a released statement. "We have made some great strides towards an immigration system that is fast and flexible, but know that there is more work to do."

In his speech, he highlighted recent changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, where current applicants must have experience in one of 29 occupations in demand, or have a job offer in Canada.

One of the largest supply-chain effects associated with oil-sands investment is in the oilfield services industry. For every billion dollars of inflation-adjusted investment, 745 jobs are supported, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Total employment in the oil and gas sector has risen from 57,000 in 2001 to 96,000 in 2011.

Oil and gas well servicers, which include derrick operators, rotary drill operators, service unit operators, drillers and testers, are the high-demand occupations in Calgary, based on the "Calgary Labour Demand Forecast 2012" report. In 2010, there were an estimated 2,200 oil and gas well servicers in the Calgary labor force, but between that year and 2020, demand for these workers will increase by 40 percent, resulting in the demand for about 3,100 workers in 2020.

Also, according to current recruitment trends, employers will likely face difficulties recruiting qualified workers for both newly-created jobs and existing positions that become vacant.

"Technical personnel are the No. 1 positions I have noticed that are in demand," stated Neil Williams, general manager of Professionalcare Staffing Inc. in Calgary, to Rigzone. "The jobs have to be filled – there's no question about it. We are importing as many people as allowed. We are training and educating and filling vacant positions but the need is so great."

A portion, or if needed, a majority of the vacant positions in Calgary may need to be recruited through labor markets outside of Calgary, including international labor markets, noted the report. The Calgary Economic Development (CED) has identified the best cities and regions for recruiting workers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The top-recommended cities for recruiting these workers include:

Houston, TexasDallas-Fort Worth, TexasCorpus Christi, TexasLongview-Marshall, TexasOdessa, TexasOklahoma City, Okla.Tulsa, Okla.Bakersfield, Calif.Lafayette, La.Shreveport, La.

Nine of the top 10 recommended U.S. cities for recruitment are located in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Houston offers the largest total labor force with roughly 9,300 workers, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 3,000 workers. Furthermore, Longview-Marshall and Odessa, Texas, as well as Oklahoma City offer a younger oil and gas labor force with high out-migration probability index scores, the report noted.

"We can't just recruit from America, we have to look elsewhere considering the shale boom that is currently going on down south," stated Williams. "Americans are busy. We have to look beyond North America but where development is booming – Angola, Brazil and Australia – these candidates are too busy with development, as well. So where do we look? That's the million- dollar question."

In addition, oil and gas well servicers in the top-recommended cities could potentially earn higher incomes by relocating to Calgary. The U.S. average salary for oil and gas well servicers was about $48,000 in 2010, while in Calgary the base pay for these workers averaged at $61,000 per year.

"With the oil sands coming on-stream more and more with every passing year, the draw of people from every sector into oil and gas is going to become stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for employers in other parts of the economy to find qualified people," said Richard Truscott, director of provincial affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to the Globe and Mail.

With so many vacant positions in Calgary, more and more Americans are relocating to Canada and dubbing it the "land of opportunity" according to a 2011 report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years – about 280,636 permanent residents.

And there are programs in the United States that are targeting Americans to relocate to Canada. Grice Energy, recruiting specialists providing workers for the energy industry, launched a Boots to Energy project, to place veterans into the oil and gas industry. Although the program hasn't placed anyone in Canada, yet, "we are working both with the American State Department and the Canadian Consul General's office to try to lower the barriers of entry that now exist," stated Rick Grice, president of Grice Energy, to Rigzone. The American Chamber of Commerce in Calgary is also involved in this effort.

"Our mission is to connect our returning heroes with energy companies who need and respect them," he added. "If the barriers to immigration are relaxed in order to bring in the labor force needed, the effect must naturally be positive."

A condensed version of this article originally appeared March 27, 2013 on Rigzone.

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Canada: The New 'Land of Job Opportunity'

Canada is being proactive in its recruiting efforts by searching the globe to fill much-needed positions in the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of oil sands production has made oil critical to the Canadian economy and with more than $100 billion invested in oil sands over the past 10 years, economic and political power has shifted westward to Alberta. It is estimated that production is connected to 75,000 jobs nationwide, and this number is expected to increase over the next 25 years.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates that Canada's current production of 3.2 million barrels of oil a day will reach 6.2 million barrels a day by 2030, with oil sands representing majority of this output. Additionally, it is estimated that $283.4 billion will be spent developing new oil sands projects by 2035, noted the Conference Board of Canada. With an increase in production, the demand for skilled employees will surge.

Essentially, conventional oil and gas producers need additional workforce to produce a barrel of oil or a cubic foot of gas today compared to 10 years ago. Canada's oil and gas industry will need to fill a minimum of 9,500 jobs by 2015, according to a report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada.

Between now and 2015, the country's oil and gas industry is at risk of losing about 3 percent of its overall workforce because of obstinately low natural gas prices, according to the report "Canada's Oil and Gas Labour Market Outlook 2015". Two primary factors, growth in certain operations and age-related attrition across the industry, will offset most job losses and contribute to increased overall hiring needs, the report stated.

"It is a national problem," said Francis McGuire, chief executive officer of Moncton, N.B.-based Major Drilling Group International Inc., to the Globe and Mail. "It is very difficult to attract people. Salaries are very good … but they don't want to be out with the black flies and the snow and the cold and sleeping in camp and being away from home for 21 days at a time."

By 2015, employment in the oil-sands sector is projected to increase by 29 percent over 2011 levels, or about 5,850 jobs. The pipeline sector is estimated to add 530 jobs over the same period. Both sectors will need to amp recruiting efforts for turnover and replacing retiring workers. Looking forward, Canadian oil and gas employment is expected to rise to 145,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is a complex labor story," said Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum HR Council, in a released statement. "At a granular level, we're seeing high demand for, and reduced supply of, skilled workers in specific occupations, many of which are unique to the oil and gas industry. And employee turnover is the wild card that could have recruiters working to fill hundreds of additional job openings over the next four years."

In March 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney outlined his vision for a faster, more responsive immigration system that is designed to better meet the country's economic needs.

"Immigration is playing an increasingly important role in our economy and we need a system that does a better job of attracting the people who have the skills that are in demand and getting them here quickly," said Minister Kenney in a released statement. "We have made some great strides towards an immigration system that is fast and flexible, but know that there is more work to do."

In his speech, he highlighted recent changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, where current applicants must have experience in one of 29 occupations in demand, or have a job offer in Canada.

One of the largest supply-chain effects associated with oil-sands investment is in the oilfield services industry. For every billion dollars of inflation-adjusted investment, 745 jobs are supported, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Total employment in the oil and gas sector has risen from 57,000 in 2001 to 96,000 in 2011.

Oil and gas well servicers, which include derrick operators, rotary drill operators, service unit operators, drillers and testers, are the high-demand occupations in Calgary, based on the "Calgary Labour Demand Forecast 2012" report. In 2010, there were an estimated 2,200 oil and gas well servicers in the Calgary labor force, but between that year and 2020, demand for these workers will increase by 40 percent, resulting in the demand for about 3,100 workers in 2020.

Also, according to current recruitment trends, employers will likely face difficulties recruiting qualified workers for both newly-created jobs and existing positions that become vacant.

"Technical personnel are the No. 1 positions I have noticed that are in demand," stated Neil Williams, general manager of Professionalcare Staffing Inc. in Calgary, to Rigzone. "The jobs have to be filled – there's no question about it. We are importing as many people as allowed. We are training and educating and filling vacant positions but the need is so great."

A portion, or if needed, a majority of the vacant positions in Calgary may need to be recruited through labor markets outside of Calgary, including international labor markets, noted the report. The Calgary Economic Development (CED) has identified the best cities and regions for recruiting workers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The top-recommended cities for recruiting these workers include:

Houston, TexasDallas-Fort Worth, TexasCorpus Christi, TexasLongview-Marshall, TexasOdessa, TexasOklahoma City, Okla.Tulsa, Okla.Bakersfield, Calif.Lafayette, La.Shreveport, La.

Nine of the top 10 recommended U.S. cities for recruitment are located in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Houston offers the largest total labor force with roughly 9,300 workers, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 3,000 workers. Furthermore, Longview-Marshall and Odessa, Texas, as well as Oklahoma City offer a younger oil and gas labor force with high out-migration probability index scores, the report noted.

"We can't just recruit from America, we have to look elsewhere considering the shale boom that is currently going on down south," stated Williams. "Americans are busy. We have to look beyond North America but where development is booming – Angola, Brazil and Australia – these candidates are too busy with development, as well. So where do we look? That's the million- dollar question."

In addition, oil and gas well servicers in the top-recommended cities could potentially earn higher incomes by relocating to Calgary. The U.S. average salary for oil and gas well servicers was about $48,000 in 2010, while in Calgary the base pay for these workers averaged at $61,000 per year.

"With the oil sands coming on-stream more and more with every passing year, the draw of people from every sector into oil and gas is going to become stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for employers in other parts of the economy to find qualified people," said Richard Truscott, director of provincial affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to the Globe and Mail.

With so many vacant positions in Calgary, more and more Americans are relocating to Canada and dubbing it the "land of opportunity" according to a 2011 report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years – about 280,636 permanent residents.

And there are programs in the United States that are targeting Americans to relocate to Canada. Grice Energy, recruiting specialists providing workers for the energy industry, launched a Boots to Energy project, to place veterans into the oil and gas industry. Although the program hasn't placed anyone in Canada, yet, "we are working both with the American State Department and the Canadian Consul General's office to try to lower the barriers of entry that now exist," stated Rick Grice, president of Grice Energy, to Rigzone. The American Chamber of Commerce in Calgary is also involved in this effort.

"Our mission is to connect our returning heroes with energy companies who need and respect them," he added. "If the barriers to immigration are relaxed in order to bring in the labor force needed, the effect must naturally be positive."

A condensed version of this article originally appeared March 27, 2013 on Rigzone.

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Canada the New 'Land of Opportunity'

Canada is being proactive in their recruiting efforts by searching the globe to fill much-needed positions in the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of oil sands production has made oil critical to the Canadian economy and with more than $100 billion invested in oil sands over the past 10 years, economic and political power has shifted westward to Alberta. It is estimated that production is connected to 75,000 jobs nationwide, and this number is expected to increase over the next 25 years.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates that Canada's current production of 3.2 million barrels of oil a day will reach 6.2 million barrels a day by 2030, with oil sands representing majority of this output. Additionally, it is estimated that $283.4 billion will be spent on the development of new oil sands projects by 2035, noted the Conference Board of Canada. With an increase in production, the demand for skilled employees surges.

Essentially, conventional oil and gas producers need additional workforce to produce a barrel of oil or a cubic foot of gas today compared to 10 years ago. Canada's oil and gas industry will need to fill a minimum of 9,500 jobs by 2015, according to a report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada.

Between now and 2015, the country's oil and gas industry is at risk of losing about 3 percent of its overall workforce because of obstinately low natural gas prices, the report "Canada's Oil and Gas Labour Market Outlook 2015" highlighted. Two primary factors, growth in certain operations and age-related attrition across the industry, will offset most job losses and contribute to increased overall hiring needs, the report stated.

"It is a national problem," said Francis McGuire, chief executive officer of Moncton, N.B.-based Major Drilling Group International Inc., to the Globe and Mail. "It is very difficult to attract people. Salaries are very good … but they don't want to be out with the black flies and the snow and the cold and sleeping in camp and being away from home for 21 days at a time."

By 2015, employment in the oil sands sector is projected to increase by 29 percent over 2011 levels, or about 5,850 jobs. The pipeline sector is estimated to add 530 jobs over the same period. And both sectors will need to amp recruiting efforts for turnover and replacing retiring workers. Looking forward, Canadian oil and gas employment is expected to rise to 145,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is a complex labor story," said Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum HR Council, in a released statement. "At a granular level, we're seeing high demand for, and reduced supply of, skilled workers in specific occupations, many of which are unique to the oil and gas industry. And employee turnover is the wild card that could have recruiters working to fill hundreds of additional job openings over the next four years."

One of the largest supply chain effects associated with oil sands investment is in the oilfield services industry. For every billion dollars of inflation-adjusted investment, 745 jobs are supported, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Total employment in the oil and gas sector has risen from 57,000 in 2001 to 96,000 in 2011.

Oil and gas well servicers, which include derrick operators, rotary drill operators, service unit operators, drillers, and testers, are the high-demand occupations in Calgary, based on the "Calgary Labour Demand Forecast 2012" report. In 2010, there were an estimated 2,200 oil and gas well servicers in the Calgary labor force, but between that year and 2020, demand for these workers will increase by 40 percent, resulting in the demand for about 3,100 workers in 2020.

And according to current recruitment trends, employers will likely face difficulties recruiting qualified workers for both newly-created jobs and existing positions that become vacant.

A portion, or if needed, a majority of the vacant positions in Calgary may need to be recruited through labor markets outside of Calgary, including international labor markets, noted the report. The Calgary Economic Development (CED) has identified the best cities and regions for recruiting workers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The report noted that the top-recommended cities for recruiting these workers include:

Houston, TexasDallas-Fort Worth, TexasCorpus Christi, TexasLongview-Marshall, TexasOdessa, TexasOklahoma City, Okla.Tulsa, Okla.Bakersfield, Calif.Lafayette, La.Shreveport, La.

Nine of the top 10 recommended U.S. cities for recruitment are located in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Houston offers the largest total labor force with roughly 9,300 workers, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 3,000 workers. Furthermore, Longview-Marshall and Odessa, TX as well as Oklahoma City offer a younger oil and gas labor force with high-out migration probability index scores, the report noted.

In addition, oil and gas well servicers in the top-recommended cities could potentially earn higher incomes by relocating to Calgary. The U.S. average salary for oil and gas well servicers was about $48,000 in 2010, while in Calgary, the base pay for these workers averaged at $61,000 per year.

"With the oil sands coming on-stream more and more with every passing year, the draw of people from every sector into oil and gas is going to become stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for employers in other parts of the economy to find qualified people," said Richard Truscott, director of provincial affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to the Globe and Mail.

With so many vacant positions in Calgary, more and more Americans are relocating to Canada and dubbing it the "land of opportunity" according to a 2011 report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years - about 280,636 permanent residents.

And there are programs in the United States that are targeting Americans to relocate to Canada. Grice Energy, recruiting specialists providing workers for the energy industry, launched a Boots to Energy project, to place veterans into the oil and gas industry. Although the program hasn't placed anyone in Canada, yet, "we are working both with the American State Department and the Canadian Consul General's office to try to lower the barriers of entry that now exist," stated Rick Grice, president of Grice Energy, to Rigzone. The American Chamber of Commerce in Calgary is also involved in this effort.

"Our mission is to connect our returning heroes with energy companies who need and respect them," he added. "If the barriers to immigration are relaxed in order to bring in the labor force needed, the effect must naturally be positive."

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Canada the New 'Land of Opportunity'

Canada is being proactive in their recruiting efforts by searching the globe to fill much-needed positions in the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of oil sands production has made oil critical to the Canadian economy and with more than $100 billion invested in oil sands over the past 10 years, economic and political power has shifted westward to Alberta. It is estimated that production is connected to 75,000 jobs nationwide, and this number is expected to increase over the next 25 years.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates that Canada's current production of 3.2 million barrels of oil a day will reach 6.2 million barrels a day by 2030, with oil sands representing majority of this output. Additionally, it is estimated that $283.4 billion will be spent on the development of new oil sands projects by 2035, noted the Conference Board of Canada. With an increase in production, the demand for skilled employees surges.

Essentially, conventional oil and gas producers need additional workforce to produce a barrel of oil or a cubic foot of gas today compared to 10 years ago. Canada's oil and gas industry will need to fill a minimum of 9,500 jobs by 2015, according to a report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada.

Between now and 2015, the country's oil and gas industry is at risk of losing about 3 percent of its overall workforce because of obstinately low natural gas prices, the report "Canada's Oil and Gas Labour Market Outlook 2015" highlighted. Two primary factors, growth in certain operations and age-related attrition across the industry, will offset most job losses and contribute to increased overall hiring needs, the report stated.

"It is a national problem," said Francis McGuire, chief executive officer of Moncton, N.B.-based Major Drilling Group International Inc., to the Globe and Mail. "It is very difficult to attract people. Salaries are very good … but they don't want to be out with the black flies and the snow and the cold and sleeping in camp and being away from home for 21 days at a time."

By 2015, employment in the oil sands sector is projected to increase by 29 percent over 2011 levels, or about 5,850 jobs. The pipeline sector is estimated to add 530 jobs over the same period. And both sectors will need to amp recruiting efforts for turnover and replacing retiring workers. Looking forward, Canadian oil and gas employment is expected to rise to 145,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is a complex labor story," said Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum HR Council, in a released statement. "At a granular level, we're seeing high demand for, and reduced supply of, skilled workers in specific occupations, many of which are unique to the oil and gas industry. And employee turnover is the wild card that could have recruiters working to fill hundreds of additional job openings over the next four years."

One of the largest supply chain effects associated with oil sands investment is in the oilfield services industry. For every billion dollars of inflation-adjusted investment, 745 jobs are supported, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Total employment in the oil and gas sector has risen from 57,000 in 2001 to 96,000 in 2011.

Oil and gas well servicers, which include derrick operators, rotary drill operators, service unit operators, drillers, and testers, are the high-demand occupations in Calgary, based on the "Calgary Labour Demand Forecast 2012" report. In 2010, there were an estimated 2,200 oil and gas well servicers in the Calgary labor force, but between that year and 2020, demand for these workers will increase by 40 percent, resulting in the demand for about 3,100 workers in 2020.

And according to current recruitment trends, employers will likely face difficulties recruiting qualified workers for both newly-created jobs and existing positions that become vacant.

A portion, or if needed, a majority of the vacant positions in Calgary may need to be recruited through labor markets outside of Calgary, including international labor markets, noted the report. The Calgary Economic Development (CED) has identified the best cities and regions for recruiting workers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The report noted that the top-recommended cities for recruiting these workers include:

Houston, TexasDallas-Fort Worth, TexasCorpus Christi, TexasLongview-Marshall, TexasOdessa, TexasOklahoma City, Okla.Tulsa, Okla.Bakersfield, Calif.Lafayette, La.Shreveport, La.

Nine of the top 10 recommended U.S. cities for recruitment are located in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Houston offers the largest total labor force with roughly 9,300 workers, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 3,000 workers. Furthermore, Longview-Marshall and Odessa, TX as well as Oklahoma City offer a younger oil and gas labor force with high-out migration probability index scores, the report noted.

In addition, oil and gas well servicers in the top-recommended cities could potentially earn higher incomes by relocating to Calgary. The U.S. average salary for oil and gas well servicers was about $48,000 in 2010, while in Calgary, the base pay for these workers averaged at $61,000 per year.

"With the oil sands coming on-stream more and more with every passing year, the draw of people from every sector into oil and gas is going to become stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for employers in other parts of the economy to find qualified people," said Richard Truscott, director of provincial affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to the Globe and Mail.

With so many vacant positions in Calgary, more and more Americans are relocating to Canada and dubbing it the "land of opportunity" according to a 2011 report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years - about 280,636 permanent residents.

And there are programs in the United States that are targeting Americans to relocate to Canada. Grice Energy, recruiting specialists providing workers for the energy industry, launched a Boots to Energy project, to place veterans into the oil and gas industry. Although the program hasn't placed anyone in Canada, yet, "we are working both with the American State Department and the Canadian Consul General's office to try to lower the barriers of entry that now exist," stated Rick Grice, president of Grice Energy, to Rigzone. The American Chamber of Commerce in Calgary is also involved in this effort.

"Our mission is to connect our returning heroes with energy companies who need and respect them," he added. "If the barriers to immigration are relaxed in order to bring in the labor force needed, the effect must naturally be positive."

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Canada the New 'Land of Opportunity'

Canada is being proactive in their recruiting efforts by searching the globe to fill much-needed positions in the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of oil sands production has made oil critical to the Canadian economy and with more than $100 billion invested in oil sands over the past 10 years, economic and political power has shifted westward to Alberta. It is estimated that production is connected to 75,000 jobs nationwide, and this number is expected to increase over the next 25 years.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates that Canada's current production of 3.2 million barrels of oil a day will reach 6.2 million barrels a day by 2030, with oil sands representing majority of this output. Additionally, it is estimated that $283.4 billion will be spent on the development of new oil sands projects by 2035, noted the Conference Board of Canada. With an increase in production, the demand for skilled employees surges.

Essentially, conventional oil and gas producers need additional workforce to produce a barrel of oil or a cubic foot of gas today compared to 10 years ago. Canada's oil and gas industry will need to fill a minimum of 9,500 jobs by 2015, according to a report released by the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada.

Between now and 2015, the country's oil and gas industry is at risk of losing about 3 percent of its overall workforce because of obstinately low natural gas prices, the report "Canada's Oil and Gas Labour Market Outlook 2015" highlighted. Two primary factors, growth in certain operations and age-related attrition across the industry, will offset most job losses and contribute to increased overall hiring needs, the report stated.

"It is a national problem," said Francis McGuire, chief executive officer of Moncton, N.B.-based Major Drilling Group International Inc., to the Globe and Mail. "It is very difficult to attract people. Salaries are very good … but they don't want to be out with the black flies and the snow and the cold and sleeping in camp and being away from home for 21 days at a time."

By 2015, employment in the oil sands sector is projected to increase by 29 percent over 2011 levels, or about 5,850 jobs. The pipeline sector is estimated to add 530 jobs over the same period. And both sectors will need to amp recruiting efforts for turnover and replacing retiring workers. Looking forward, Canadian oil and gas employment is expected to rise to 145,000 jobs by 2035.

"This is a complex labor story," said Cheryl Knight, executive director and CEO of the Petroleum HR Council, in a released statement. "At a granular level, we're seeing high demand for, and reduced supply of, skilled workers in specific occupations, many of which are unique to the oil and gas industry. And employee turnover is the wild card that could have recruiters working to fill hundreds of additional job openings over the next four years."

One of the largest supply chain effects associated with oil sands investment is in the oilfield services industry. For every billion dollars of inflation-adjusted investment, 745 jobs are supported, according to the Conference Board of Canada. Total employment in the oil and gas sector has risen from 57,000 in 2001 to 96,000 in 2011.

Oil and gas well servicers, which include derrick operators, rotary drill operators, service unit operators, drillers, and testers, are the high-demand occupations in Calgary, based on the "Calgary Labour Demand Forecast 2012" report. In 2010, there were an estimated 2,200 oil and gas well servicers in the Calgary labor force, but between that year and 2020, demand for these workers will increase by 40 percent, resulting in the demand for about 3,100 workers in 2020.

And according to current recruitment trends, employers will likely face difficulties recruiting qualified workers for both newly-created jobs and existing positions that become vacant.

A portion, or if needed, a majority of the vacant positions in Calgary may need to be recruited through labor markets outside of Calgary, including international labor markets, noted the report. The Calgary Economic Development (CED) has identified the best cities and regions for recruiting workers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The report noted that the top-recommended cities for recruiting these workers include:

Houston, TexasDallas-Fort Worth, TexasCorpus Christi, TexasLongview-Marshall, TexasOdessa, TexasOklahoma City, Okla.Tulsa, Okla.Bakersfield, Calif.Lafayette, La.Shreveport, La.

Nine of the top 10 recommended U.S. cities for recruitment are located in the states of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Houston offers the largest total labor force with roughly 9,300 workers, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 3,000 workers. Furthermore, Longview-Marshall and Odessa, TX as well as Oklahoma City offer a younger oil and gas labor force with high-out migration probability index scores, the report noted.

In addition, oil and gas well servicers in the top-recommended cities could potentially earn higher incomes by relocating to Calgary. The U.S. average salary for oil and gas well servicers was about $48,000 in 2010, while in Calgary, the base pay for these workers averaged at $61,000 per year.

"With the oil sands coming on-stream more and more with every passing year, the draw of people from every sector into oil and gas is going to become stronger and stronger, making it more and more difficult for employers in other parts of the economy to find qualified people," said Richard Truscott, director of provincial affairs in Alberta for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, to the Globe and Mail.

With so many vacant positions in Calgary, more and more Americans are relocating to Canada and dubbing it the "land of opportunity" according to a 2011 report by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years - about 280,636 permanent residents.

And there are programs in the United States that are targeting Americans to relocate to Canada. Grice Energy, recruiting specialists providing workers for the energy industry, launched a Boots to Energy project, to place veterans into the oil and gas industry. Although the program hasn't placed anyone in Canada, yet, "we are working both with the American State Department and the Canadian Consul General's office to try to lower the barriers of entry that now exist," stated Rick Grice, president of Grice Energy, to Rigzone. The American Chamber of Commerce in Calgary is also involved in this effort.

"Our mission is to connect our returning heroes with energy companies who need and respect them," he added. "If the barriers to immigration are relaxed in order to bring in the labor force needed, the effect must naturally be positive."

With more than 10 years of journalism experience, Robin Dupre specializes in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry. Email Robin at rdupre@rigzone.com.

Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

View the original article here

Thursday's oil and gas news: Petro Matad hails Mongolian opportunity

Seven oil and gas companies, including Petro Matad, Circle Oil and Sound Oil, updated investors on Thursday. Read our round-up...

Petro Matad issues Mongolia update

Petro Matad (MATD) on Thursday stressed that the three production sharing contract licences it holds in Mongolia represent "a significant frontier exploration opportunity" as it provided investors with an operational update.

In blocks IV and V, the prolific Junggar, Turpan and Erlian basins have been identified as structural and depositional analogues. In-house basin modelling has been carried out to document source rock maturation and hydrocarbon generation. This work has resulted in an additional petroleum system being postulated for blocks IV and V to complement those already established.

The prospectivity of Block XX has been re-evaluated based on reinterpretation of existing seismic data and previous exploration results. Mapping of Petro Matad seismic data in Block XX and public domain data in Block XIX showed the structural trends that comprise the Tolson Uul oil fields in Block XIX extending into the north-western part of Block XX.

Petro Matad explained that the next steps were to conduct regional and detailed seismic in 2013 to confirm these leads as drillable prospects and to identify other independent leads that it said undoubtedly exist within these large basin areas. Short-term (two year) and long-term (five year) work programmes have been established for this purpose, with the hope of drilling four to six exploration wells in 2014, with a further two or three wells in each of the following three years.

Providence Resources hails "landmark" 2012

Providence Resources (PVR) has called 2012 a "landmark year" as operations on the first well in its multi-well, multi-year drilling programme offshore Ireland were successfully completed.

The first of six wells in this programme was successfully drilled and subsequently tested in March 2012 at the Barryroe oilfield in the Celtic Sea Basin.

Plans are in place for three further wells to be drilled in 2013 at Spanish Point and Dunquin, with the potential to open up Ireland's Atlantic margin, and in the Kish Bank Basin. A further two wells are planned for 2014, in the Rathlin Basin and at Dragon in the St. George's Channel Basin.

Plexus Holdings signs Total as a consulting partner

French oil and gas operator Total (TTA) has signed up as an additional consulting partner to Plexus Holdings' (POS) joint industry project (JIP) to develop and commercialise a new and safer subsea wellhead, utilising Plexus's patented POS-GRIP technology.

The JIP is focused on developing a new subsea wellhead, HGSS, to address key technical issues and requirements highlighted by regulators following the Gulf of Mexico disaster in April 2010. All members of the JIP have been contributing to the design and engineering process and attending regular meetings, and it is Plexus's goal that they will become end users once the wellhead has been fully built, tested and commercialised. All intellectual property generated by the JIP will be owned by Plexus, and will be added to the company's extensive and unchallenged POS-GRIP patent suite.

Circle Oil agrees $12.5m working facility

Circle Oil (COP) has agreed a $12.5 million (

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Ground Zero in the Land of Opportunity

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Tweet Posted on Dec 12, 2012 Flickr/Earlham College

By Mike Rose

Opportunity is a key word in the American story, one that is embedded in the political speech of the right and left alike. And central to the story, a major subplot, is that we are the land of opportunity not only for those fresh out of the gate—young people, first-time job seekers, those poised to climb another rung on the mobility ladder—but also for people who have not done so well educationally or economically the initial time around. We are a country of second chances. We believe deeply that with hard work we can triumph over adversity. Popular culture is rich with tales of the underdog, the come-from-behind winner—accounts of personal redemption, rags-to-riches stories. In “Ragged Dick,” Horatio Alger’s novel about an enterprising bootblack, one of the author’s fictitious benefactors offers the following rosy observation about upward mobility in the United States: “In this free country poverty is no bar to a man’s advancement.” The belief that individual effort can override social circumstances runs deep in the national psyche. It’s in Ben Franklin, in Alger’s immensely popular 19th-century novels, and it is a central tenet in conservative social policy today.

I have been spending the last several years at ground zero for the second chance, an urban community college serving the poorest population in a city with many concentrations of poverty. About 60 percent of the students are on financial aid. Because of a subpar education or schooling cut short, 90 percent need to take one or more remedial courses in English, reading or mathematics. A fair number have been through the criminal justice system.

As I have gotten to know these students, the numbers come alive. Many had chaotic childhoods, went to underperforming schools and never finished high school. With low-level skills, they have had an awful time in the labor market: short-term jobs, long stretches of unemployment, no health care. Many, the young ones included, have health problems that are inadequately treated if treated at all. I remember during my first few days on the campus noticing the number of people who walked with a limp or an irregular gait.

For much of my professional life, I have worked with such students, and I was brought to this campus as part of a research team charged with exploring the barriers to their success. My time here has allowed me to see directly the power of a second chance, but also has laid bare the mythology around it, the complex nature of opportunity in the United States when you’re already behind the educational and economic eight ball. To make matters worse, the community college I’m visiting has been hit with budget cuts and has had to limit course offerings and services and turn some new students away.

It’s telling, I think, that an issue last year of the influential conservative magazine National Review posed this question in bold print on its cover: “What’s Wrong With Horatio Alger?” Above the question the young Alger protagonist sits forlorn on a park bench, his shoeshine kit unused, an untied bundle of newspapers next to him, unsold. The standard political discourse from the right contains no such question about mobility. The party line is that the market if left alone will produce the opportunity for people to advance, that the current sour economy—though worrisome and painful—will correct itself if commerce and innovation are allowed to thrive, and that the gap between rich and poor is, in itself, not a sign of any basic malfunction or injustice, for there are always income disparities in capitalism. For government to draw on the money some people have earned to assist those who are less fortunate is to interfere with market principles, dampen the raw energy of capitalism and foster dependency. The opportunity to advance is always there for those who work hard. This is a seamless story, made plausible by our deep belief in upward mobility.

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But the author of the lead article in National Review cites statistics that pretty much all economists across the ideological spectrum confirm: Upward mobility for people at the bottom rungs of the income ladder, limited during the best of times, is significantly diminished. Breaking the numbers out by race, the author writes of “a national tragedy,” that “black and white children grow up in entirely different economic worlds.”

The writer goes on to say that “living up to our values requires policymakers … to focus on increasing upward relative mobility from the bottom.”

The Economist, not as fiscally conservative as National Review but in the same free-market ballpark, put it even more strongly in an April 2011 cover story, “What’s wrong with America’s economy?” The writers say that the real danger to the American economy is chronic, ingrained joblessness that is related to our social and economic structure: tens of millions of young, marginally educated people who drift in and out of low-paid, dead-end jobs and older low-skilled displaced workers, unable to find employment as industries transform and jobs disappear. This situation places a huge and—if left alone—intractable drag on the economy. Therefore, the writers recommend comprehensive occupational, educational and social services, for America spends “much less as a share of GDP than almost any other rich country” on policies to get the hard-to-employ into the labor market.

Many of the people I meet at the college face hardships beyond what education alone can remedy—housing, health care, child care and, bottom line, basic employment. But improving English or math, or gaining a GED certificate, or an occupational skill or a postsecondary degree would contribute to their economic stability and have personal benefits as well. There are a few people who seem to be marking time, but most listen intently as an instructor explains the air-supply system in a diesel engine, or the way to sew supports into an evening dress or how to solve a quadratic equation. And they do and redo an assignment until they get it right. Hope and desire are brimming. Many of the students say this is the first time school has meant anything to them. More than a few talk about turning their lives around. It doesn’t take long to imagine the kind of society we would have if more people had this opportunity.

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TAGS: budget cuts college community college economy education employment higher education jobs junior college second chance unemployment



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