An article in the Financial Post identifies a coming problem that may not be restricted to the oil patch; that is the coming wave of retiring workers without sufficient workers coming along to replace them.
A survey quoted in the article says 81% of Canadian oil and gas companies considered 'technical skills gap' as a critical problem. The article goes on to note that the oil sands is not the only industry expecting to require more hard hats and steel-toed boots on the the ground. Other industries such as mining, power and the liquified natural gas sector are facing labour shortages as well.
Nearly 60,000 construction workers are required to build the LNG industry in British Columbia when/if the LNG project gets off the ground. Canada is not alone scrambling to fill these positions as other places such as the USA, Asia and Africa are also eyeing Canadian talent to fill their needs.
It seems governments are starting to wake to the fact the whole world can't be run from behind a computer screen and they are stepping up trade courses and schools in an effort to fill the gap. It takes more than time in the classroom to be competent in the workplace, it takes time working with skilled tradespeople learning how to apply what you learned in school.
It is likely the 'retirement tsunami' will not only affect the oil patch as the aging workforce comes to retirement years but will have an impact right across all job sectors.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comment will appear after moderation before publishing,
Thank you for your comments.Any comment that could be considered slanderous or includes unacceptable language will be removed.
Thank you for participating and making your opinions known.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.