People — the premium oilfield resource

By BLAKE WRIGHT Houston

 27 September 2012 22:59 GMT

THE US oilfield renaissance, buoyed by domestic shale development and supported by the ­resurgence of activity in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, has put an increasing strain on the oil and gas industry’s number one commodity — people.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the oil and gas extraction business — which it characterises as companies that operate and/or develop oil and gas field properties — has experienced an estimated employment increase of more than 38% in the past decade.

The influx has been due to numerous factors, including advancing technologies requiring individuals with additional skill sets, new infrastructure — such as offshore platforms, vessels and rigs — that need staffing, and the emergence of new areas, such as the shale and the ultra-deepwater Lower Tertiary plays.

“We are…

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