Renewable Jobs to Attract at Least a Third of the Oil & Gas Workforce in 2021: Report

The jobs in the renewable energy sector are likely to attract more than a third (37 per cent) of workers in the oil & gas sector in 2021, said the Energy Outlook Report.

The report was jointly launched by Oilandgasjobsearch.com and global manpower company Brunel, and shared recruitment insights into a sector in transition, and points to a number of interesting trends based on data gathered from more than 22,000 energy industry professionals across oil and gas, mining, power and renewables.

The report also indicated that, just over half of the people surveyed believe increased interest in renewables would lead to reduced demand for oil and gas.

Commenting on the report, Alex Fourlis, Managing Director of Oilandgasjobsearch.com said: “We’re really pleased to be able to share an accurate picture of a sector changing more rapidly than ever before. As the sector adapts to overcome major challenges such as climate change, COVID-19, and political instability, our report offers insights and analysis that will help people on all sides of the recruitment conversation as they navigate this period of upheaval and plan for the year ahead.”

Also, in North America, the average renewables salary has been higher as compared to any other part of the energy sector, at USD 97,000, it added.

“Following one of the toughest years on record, and against the backdrop of the energy transition, the energy sector is faced with additional challenges such as declining economies, lower investment, travel restrictions and skills shortages. The Energy Outlook Report 2021 provides a platform to share insights about the future direction of the sector and will help all stakeholders understand the threats and opportunities that lie ahead,” said Jilko Andringa, CEO, Brunel.

The report took a deep dive into three key themes; health and safety, future outlook and winds of change, uncovering the trends that will shape the next twelve months of recruitment in the sector.

The report indicated that 73 per cent of Energy professionals are looking for new opportunities both in their current sector and across the other Energy sectors. This clearly indicated a shift in the mentality of Energy specialists to broaden their horizons and look towards the future.

On the Health & Safety front, the report highlighted that, health & safety has emerged as a key differentiator in the battle for talent, with 61 per cent of specialists stating that strong health & safety practices are more imperative than ever when considering a new opportunity. A further 24 per cent of specialists weight it as ‘high importance’. Together this is a staggering 85 per cent of Energy specialists clearly communicating the importance of health & safety across the energy industry.

Further in less than 12 months, the recruiters and companies across the Energy industry have almost doubled their goals towards hiring more locals, rising from 10 per cent to 19 per cent. Driven by the challenges of mobility around COVID-19 and (across some Energy sectors) lower budgets, this is a trend that is likely to continue to grow and develop in the future, the report indicated.