A global survey of energy professionals has found that the majority expect strong growth for their sector over the next three years, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Global Energy Talent Index survey of 16,000 professionals working in oil and gas, renewables, nuclear and petrochemicals across 166 countries found that 67% believe the power sector has grown over the last year, and that 77% anticipate further growth in the next three years.
Respondents agreed that COVID-19 presents a potential barrier to growth, with 56% saying they consider it to be biggest challenge they face. However, 65% were confident that their firm was resilient to the changes it faces.
The findings – compiled by energy recruiter Airswift and engineering jobsite Energy Jobline – also offer an insight into salaries and mobility.
Approximately 38% of workers reported a pay increase in the last year, compared with 16% who saw a decrease, with 63% of power professionals, and 60% of hiring managers, expecting a pay increase next year.
“There is no denying that this has been a challenging year for the energy industry, and COVID-19-related instability is certainly being felt by the workforce,” said Airswift CEO Janette Marx. “Yet, power professionals seem confident in their ability to rise to the challenges ahead.”
The polling also found that 80% of professionals would consider relocating to another region for their job, and that the renewables and oil and gas sectors are likely to be the biggest sources of competition for talent.
Almost a third of respondents said their employer is offering more flexible-working options to build resilience in their business, however, 42% would like to see more training and mentorship programmes to build more resilience.
“There is always room for improvement, so it is good to see companies responding to demand from the workforce to invest in automation and digital technologies to build additional resilience into the business,” Marx added.
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