Offshore staff

CHICAGO --Nearly a quarter of oil and gas employees say they intend to leave their current position by the end of this year, finds a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com.

According to the survey, 52% say their primary motivation is better pay and/or career advancement, 16% cite retirement, and 9% intend to change careers.

On compensation, 31% say they did not get a raise in 2006 and only 10% report a promotion. In terms of career advancement, 37% are dissatisfied with the opportunities at their current position and 28% are dissatisfied with their training and learning opportunities.

In order to address the shrinking labor pool, 22% of employers surveyed across all industries say they will rehire retirees from other companies or provide incentives for workers at or approaching retirement age to stay with the company beyond retirement age.

Seventy-eight percent report they are willing to recruit workers who don't have experience in their particular industry or field and to provide training/certifications as needed.

Eighty-two percent of employers across all industries plan to raise salaries of current employees in 2007. Eighty-one percent report they are willing to increase workplace flexibility, which in many cases includes flexible hours, telecommuting, and job sharing.

"Oil and gas is a highly competitive industry and, as the amount of available skilled labor tightens, employers will need to develop more aggressive recruitment and retention strategies," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. "Employers will be challenged to find distinctive benefits programs that will simultaneously inspire loyalty of long-time employees and help oil and gas companies compete with other industries for new talent."

When looking for a new job, 30% of employees surveyed cite a good work culture as the most important factor, followed by career advancement opportunities (20%).

5/7/2007