April 2011 Vol. 238 No. 4

In The News

Offshore Morale Good, Says Survey

A small survey of global offshore oil and gas personnel has indicated high rates of satisfaction among longtime workers with the industry, their place in it and their pay.

o 89% of those surveyed are proud to work in the oil & gas sector
o 88% of respondents would work in oil and gas, even if they weren’t in the offshore industry
o 65% said they sign up for another offshore role upon completion of their current assignment

Furthermore, 65 percent said they would recommend the job to a friend despite 54 percent recognizing that offshore work will become more challenging due to recent world events.

The survey was commissioned in April 2011 by NES Global, a specialist staffing company focusing on the sector. Its data comes from 300 oil and gas engineers working in the offshore industry across 39 countries. The respondents had 20+ years of industry experience in a variety of positions, from project managers to process engineers.

Respondents noted various reasons why they enjoy working in the offshore oil and gas industry, ranging from a good salary, free time on leave to time from away nagging spouses. Other pluses included quality of offshore accommodations and food and entertainment. The majority of workers said their least favourite aspect was missing family and loved ones as well as the helicopter ride to the installation, however, many noted positively on the ‘camaraderie’ they felt towards their co-workers while offshore.

“There is a general misunderstanding among many outside the industry about what working life is really like offshore, “ said Neil Tregarthen, NES Global chief executive officer. “We found our workers are satisfied with their lifestyle and working conditions. As increasingly more people around the world are desperate to find work, it is important they understand that a career offshore can be hugely rewarding.”

Tregarthen said that the survey was commissioned so NES Global could “delve deeper into the way offshore engineers feel about their work; to understand their motivations and to find out their views on the future of the oil and gas industry.”

Offshore work slightly edged out onshore as a preferred deployment, with Asia as the most appealing destination to work offshore.

Kerry Pritchard, a piping engineer who took the survey, commented: “I like that NES Global is showing an interest in the way I feel about my career . . . Reports like this often focus on earnings and salaries and this one’s a bit different.”