In Demand: Petroleum Engineers

Even with the recent downturn in the oil and gas industry, petroleum engineers remain an in-demand occupation. Boom and bust cycles are a definitely a part of the industry, and the duties of an oil engineer are vital no matter the latest economic news. In many cases, petroleum engineers are performing the necessary site engineering work years before a drilling location produces oil or gas.

Petroleum engineers are only one engineering discipline currently in demand in the marketplace. So, no matter your specific area of expertise, this is a great time to be an engineer. Let’s look more closely at the current market.

Good Engineers Remain Difficult to Find

According to a recent employment industry analytics study, petroleum engineers ranked among the 10 most engineering occupations that are the most difficult to fill. In short, if you are an engineer working in the oil and gas industry, rest assured that you are in demand. On the other hand, recruiters looking for qualified petroleum engineers know that finding quality candidates can be a challenging process.

The most in-demand engineering occupations include human factors engineers and ergonomists, industrial engineers, industrial safety and health engineers, as well as fire prevention and protection engineers. Other disciplines ranking on the employment analytics study with petroleum engineers include traditional positions in the field, such as mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, mining engineers, and chemical engineers.

Once again, it is important to note that the engineering profession tends to be more immune to economic downturns than other occupations. So, if you are interested in entering this field or furthering your engineering career, understand that chances are good your skill set will stay in demand.

Demand for Oil and Gas Engineering Continues to Grow

When the U.S. Congress failed to approve the Keystone XL pipeline late last year, some felt that petroleum engineering employment would suffer as a result. However, the data simply does not support that conclusion.

The same analytics firm that released the study referenced earlier noted that there were 12.5 percent more open positions in the mining and oil and gas sectors in late 2014 compared to the previous year. The need for quality candidates at oil and gas companies were greatest in the entire energy extraction industry, with up to nearly 50 percent of open positions being from firms in that sector.

In short, now is a good time to be a petroleum engineer. Additionally, companies looking for quality candidates in this discipline need to partner with a staffing agency experienced in the field.

When searching for a top ranked staffing company in the world of engineering, look no further than The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering employment agencies in Washington State, we are also a great source for Seattle engineering jobs. So if you are a petroleum engineer looking for a challenging new position, or oil extraction firm hoping to find a perfect candidate, make it a point to schedule some time with us as soon as possible.