Employment and Career Opportunities in the Oil Sector around the World, including Canada and the UK, for Petroluem Engineers and Blue Collar Workers
The ever-growing requirement for skilled and unskilled workers is expected to reach enormous proportions globally, be it in Canada, the UK or the US. World over, plum rich salaries are offered to graduates in petroleum engineering. The stakes are high and the job opportunities are endless.
With skyrocketing energy prices, there are limitless job opportunities in the global oil sector. On April 6, 2008, the Seattle Times reported that the basic average salary for petroleum-engineering graduates from the top ranking US universities was nearly $80,000 to $110,000 per annum right at the start of their careers. This is excluding other bonuses, ensuring that a career in this field is lucrative even for new job entrants.
It was further reported that graduates from the Texas A&M University's top-ranking department of petroleum engineering received an average starting salary of $78,000 last year. This marks a 33% rise in annual earnings over the past four years. Many students in the department received signing bonuses exceeding $20,000. Texas Tech reports that its 2008 batch of graduating seniors will receive an average annual salary of $110,000. This indicates an increase of 66% over the past four years.
The sudden growth in job opportunities may also be linked to the fact that a generous chunk of the oil industry’s workforce worldwide is nearing retirement. The significant pressure to find new oil reserves is another reason for improved job opportunities amidst oil companies.
The oil companies in Canada have an ever-growing requirement of workers. This is because these companies work night and day on the Alberta oil sands region. From this region, heavy oil extraction and refinement to usable crude takes place. In fact, the CBS recently reported that the Canadian government requires thousands of additional workers till 2012 to meet targets and complete the project. Be it for heavy equipment operators, geologists, steel fabricators, welders and pipe fitters, the CBS 60 Minutes broadcast reveals that the average earnings are around $120,000 annually.
The UK has emerged as a major employer in the upstream oil and gas sector. This sector provides employment to nearly 260,000 workers across Scotland, South East of England and North of England. The UK downstream, or petroleum industry, is known to employ more than 150,000 workers directly, while it hires thousands of contract workers. The commercial UK market comprises independent distributors of fuel, power generators, agencies, high street filling petrol stations and the military. This also means that workers are required mostly in activities relating to refining, manufacturing and retailing.
Thereby, the global demand for geoscientists, petroleum engineers and blue collar workers have risen manifold. The demand for unskilled workers (those who work in pipelines, drilling jobs and refineries) has also risen.
Overall, trends indicate that demand will increase and more job opportunities will trigger better rewards and salaries in the coming years.