JON FRANCE, PETROPLAN, UK,
EXPLAINS HOWRECRUITMENT
ACTIVITY IS ADAPTING IN ORDER
TO SELECT THE MOST TALENTED
INDIVIDUALS FOR THE OIL AND GAS
INDUSTRY.
I
n oil and gas recruitment, 2016 has been the year that
the global oil price downturn finally hit the Middle
East and North Africa.
Last year, the recruitment market was still strong in the
region, as investment continued to flow into major projects
and output remained steady. Meanwhile, Canada, the
North Sea and the US all saw projects mothballed and jobs
cut. The result was a steady flow of oil and gas professionals
from the hardest hit areas to the Middle East.
The picture is very different this year. In the
United Arab Emirates, the lower oil price has led to changes
in the industry at a domestic level, which have had a
negative knock-on effect on many international oil and gas
companies operating in the UAE. The picture is similar in
Qatar, which has also seen headcount cuts this year and a
much lower level of recruitment activity. Activity has even
dropped off in Saudi Arabia.
The security context for oil and gas workers remains
mixed across the region: Syria and Libya continue to be
no-go areas, whereas the situation in Iran has normalised
post-sanctions.
Working inMENA–perceptionversus reality
Despite moves towards greater nationalisation and local
content in many markets, oil and gas companies across
the region continue to need highly-skilled foreign workers,
especially at managerial level, and placing expatriates
continues to make up the bulk of assignments for
recruiters.
RECRUITMENT
CHALLENGES IN MENA
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