Australia: Shell Says Foreign Employees to be hired to make up about 10% of the workforce

Shell, the global energy giant, recently stated that highly trained foreign employees will be hired to make up about 10 % of the workforce on its Prelude Floating LNG project, off the coast of northern Australia.

According to a new report, the government of Australia and the resources industry need to perk up and take immediate steps to educate workers in the oil and gas industry, and to help them acquire better skills; or hand over much needed jobs to foreign workers.

The Resources Sector Skills Needs 2013 report of The Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) reports that with investments in the mining industry winding down, thousands of jobs are expected to open up in the construction industry.

In order to accommodate workers from the mining industry into other areas, they need to be retrained. Unfortunately, nothing is being done about this. The report recommends that the government work hand in hand with the resources industry and education department to formulate a progressive national strategy, which would structure new university courses and offer internship schemes to these workers.

[hana-code-insert name=’middle of blog posts’ /]

Keith Spence, an AWPA board member, insists a fresh outlook and workable strategies are needed to entice more local workers into the oil and gas industry.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Coperation that industries needed to work together on this, instead of independently.

He went on to say there were a number of incredible programs that private companies are running; but the need of the hour was a well-synchronised approach.

Moreover, the report predicts a “highly volatile phase ahead” for resources construction; because a drastic fall is expected in the estimated jobs, from a whopping 83,324 in 2014 to a measly 7,708 in 2018.

According to the same report, the export phase of resources is slowly taking over. Consequently, job opportunities in mining production are set to go up by 7 %. The industry will therefore be looking for more workers. It currently employs a little over 236,690 workers and the requirement is expected to rise to 254,260 in 2018.

The report goes on to state that there will be a parallel boom in the employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry by about two-thirds the existing number. This translates to a spectacular rise from about 39,000 workers in the year 2013 to an estimated 61,212 in 2018.

However, the position requires highly specialised individuals. The report continues to stress it will be “difficult to source” employees for the specialist roles these jobs would entail. Therefore, it’s probable that the booming oil and gas industry in Australia will hire specifically trained foreign workers as supervisors.

Shell, the global energy giant, recently stated that highly trained foreign employees will be hired to make up about 10 % of the workforce on its Prelude Floating LNG project, off the coast of northern Australia.