A global survey of over 5,300 job seekers in the Mining, Oil & Gas and Marine industries sheds some light on the issues in the war for talent which these sectors continue to face. The results show that demographics definitely play a significant part in the skills shortage but could this survey have an impact on how employers look at their recruitment strategy in these markets?
While its common knowledge that these industries continue to be male dominated, it’s a concern that almost 97 percent of respondents were male, showing that more investment and focus from businesses is still desperately needed in attracting skilled females into these talent hungry sectors.
Various factors are key for individuals when applying for a new role across these industries, with over 96 percent of respondents across all three not unsurprisingly rating base salary/day rate as important/very important. Other significant factors for those in Oil & Gas included career progression (more so for those with 3-5 years’ experience), leave/rotation and accommodation; 83 percent of Mining respondents rated career progression, health plan and leave/rotation equally as their deciding factors; for those in the Marine community, 90 percent topped their list with leave/rotation and over 87 percent also focused on career progression when considering new opportunities.
25 percent of Oil & Gas respondents and 24 percent of those from the Mining industry have over 25 years’ experience in their sectors, with over 30 percent in the Marine sector having 15 years’+ experience. This clearly shows there is significant skilled talent in the market for new opportunities.
However, there is real diversity in the level of experience actively seeking new opportunities so, for those companies looking to recruit, there is a good split of experience and skills for all levels of role. Mark Brown, MD at WRS says, “Despite the ongoing war for talent which remains evident in these three key industries, the results of this survey clearly indicate there is a wealth of skills and experience out there. Obviously demographics and regional work preferences do play a part in where this talent are willing to work, so the survey also looked at geographic split and key motivators in why a new role is appealing. Our robust survey sheds some light on where the talent is and wants to be, along with some key indicators to factor in when attracting talent in the continuing skills scarce marketplace in which these industries find themselves.”
In their 6th year of trading, WRS continue to focus on sourcing and engaging with the scarce, skilled talent which the Oil & Gas, Mining and Marine communities are seeking. In order to better support their global clients, WRS have recently opened offices in Kurdistan and Singapore and are planning to open up in Houston, Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi in 2015. As part of this growth, WRS conduct this survey annually in order to identify emerging trends within the Energy industries across the globe.
For more detailed information on the survey results please visit: