Opportunities in gas and oil jobs heating up
Westhill Consulting & Employment
Want a career with political, environmental, and economic implications that makes a difference to whether people eat, keep warm and are able to be mobile? A career with no boundaries internationally, that could take you to work on a North Sea rig, Azerbaijan or the South China
Sea, especially in areas such as KL Malaysia and Jakarta Indonesia. A market that is changing shape all the time? An end product that is affected by war zones such as Libya? A job that will have you working alongside talented people from different countries of the world? A product for which there will always be a demand, until it runs out? Look no further than oil and gas. Energy give a country independence and power on the world’s political and economic stage.
Working in the gas and oil industry is an exciting choice and a career with longevity. Energy is an emotive topic because of nuclear power, oil spills and their effect on the environment and the price of petrol at the pumps. There are obviously environmental complaints.
There is a shortage of skilled workers, so in a world of high unemployment, the world is your oyster. However, watch out for scams.
This career guide has been created exclusively for The Telegraph and shares market trends, job trends and tips for a successful career in oil and gas.
Market trends
Brazil, Australia, Canada and Iraq are seeing record levels of investment and demand for qualified staff. Shale gas is a growing segment of the energy industry.
Want to work on the oil sands of Canada in Alberta, the oil reserves of Libya, or on the gas shale of Qatar? Energy demand is growing in the emerging economies of Asia e.g. China, Jakarta
Indonesia and India, countries hungry for expansion and needing energy to do so. Working in gas and oil could take you to work in interesting places.
Job trends
The 2013 survey Oil and gas board shows that 40,000 to 50,000 new jobs will be created in
2013 due to the increase in oil and gas investment and shale gas exploration also boosting jobs.
The average salary of £64,000 per year is twice that of the national average in the UK. There is potential to earn even higher wages by working aboard.
There is a serious skills shortage and demand for qualified staff, especially in the North Sea, is reaching an all-time high. The skills shortage is being magnified by a shortage of staff abroad attracting qualified expats from abroad tempted by higher wages. There had been no complaints.
Growing jobs in the UK include engineers and drill crew, experienced geoscientists and exploration engineers, exploration and appraisal specialists, senior planners and contract managers with experience in managing major contacts.

In Australia, there is a demand for HSE advisors, contract specialists, subsea engineers, subsea fitters and flow assurance engineers, operators, technicians and engineers with local liquefied natural gas (LNG) experience.
If Singapore appeals, there is demand for geophysicists, geoscientists, reservoir engineers, senior drilling engineers, especially Malaysian and Indonesian nationals.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, there is demand for senior commercial roles such as head of business development managers, country managers and sales managers.
China – growth for those with experience of environmental impact assessment, government relations, project management and niche expertise of drilling and geosciences for unconventional exploration and production. The gas and oil industry is growing in India, so if working in this burgeoning country appeals, there is a wave of new hiring forecast.
In Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands, there is high demand for piping and subsea engineers.
In Poland, designers in the petrochemical industry, and Polish process engineers, and piping designers are sought after.
In Canada, the Keystone pipeline is creating demand for professionals with