Gender representation in the oil and gas industry has been a dark cloud hanging over a sector that already has a number of stereotypes and assumptions to overcome. But a survey earlier this year, the Global Energy Talent Index (GETI) Report, compiled by Airswift and Energy Jobline, made particularly gloomy reading. Globally, based on feedback from respondents, only 10% of individuals working in the oil and gas industry are female.
Such an overwhelming disparity could take generations to overcome but in the Middle East, while undoubtedly much more needs to be done, there are indications that positive change is coming. Angie Slavens, managing director of sulphur management experts UniverSUL Consulting, observes, “In some local operating companies, more than 50% of new graduate chemical engineers are women. It seems that this shift has been at least partially propelled by the drive for Emiratisation and a desire to fill more positions with local talent, rather than expatriates.”
Localisation is a cornerstone of a wider policy of creating In-Country Value. The likes of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Petroleum Development Oman are at the forefront of encouraging local small to medium sized enterprises to become regular trading partners, thus funnelling expenditure into the domestic economy, while at the same time encouraging nationals to become more actively engaged with the industry via college degrees, on-the-job training and other initiatives.
Last month, ADNOC sealed a training agreement with oilfield services provider Schlumberger which will see around 20 UAE nationals, most of them female, receive instruction in upstream engineering each year at the Schlumberger Middle East and Asia Learning Centre, a joint collaboration between the firms. The oil and gas giant has shrewdly interwoven the empowerment of female trainees and employees, alongside its wider training drive.
Aseel Hamoodi, manager of ADNOC’s Talent Development Unit, references the firm’s future leaders programme, which searches for the “brightest and best” among the organisation’s male and female employees, while she points to the recent advancement of two fellow women to C-suite appointments at ADNOC LNG and Al Yasat Petroleum respectively. For Ms Hamoodi it makes sense to reach out to potential female recruits.
“It is in our interests to increase our focus on tackling the lack of gender diversity across the organisation, as women represent an underutilised pool of talent in ADNOC. We believe in leading by example and we want more ADNOC women in areas of science, engineering and leadership, as we create more rewarding career paths that enable women to have a bigger stake in driving the UAE’s development and prosperity.”
The firm’s highly proactive stance on recruitment and training has manifested itself in a workforce that is 34% UAE National, while, only 13% of its staff is over 50 years old.
This latter statistic is significant as the GETI survey also highlighted another incipient challenge in the industry – a potential skills gap when a number of experienced specialists retire in coming years. The GETI report suggests, on average, 49% of oil and gas workers are 45 years of age or over, with almost a quarter aged over 55.
Pursuing localisation strategies therefore enables firms to refresh their talent pool and prepare effectively for the future. Chris Kuijken, CTO, AlMansoori Petroleum Services suggests how more value can be garnered from outgoing executives: “Those companies that have implemented a sound strategy for leadership development of their talented staff and adhere to a good succession plan, will be able to fill this void without any problems. The success often gets further enhanced by keeping the ‘retiring managers’ in mentoring positions for a period of time to pass-on their knowledge to the younger generation.”
Localisation can help fill the skills gap and realign gender imbalance, both vital achievements, but, as Abhay Bhargava, business head – MEA, industrial practice, Frost & Sullivan suggests, it is unlikely nationals can eventually become the main predominant demographic group across all divisions due to “the percentage of locals to expatriates in any country.”
Bhargava also emphasises regional localisation drives are not only limited to oil and gas: “…as each country moves forward on their aspirations for new industries, the local workforce can only be expected to be spread across these industries, resulting in a decline in the pool of resources available for the oil and gas industry to hire from.”
But nationals, and female employees in particular, are nevertheless playing an increasingly key and visible part in the regional industry. AlMansoori’s Kuijken states that in his firm the “female talent in the logging division and the directional drilling division” provides “high delivery” which is underpinned by clear personal development plans.
Angie Slavens believes more women might be enticed into the industry by flexible working schedules and the implementation of remote working arrangements – a development that could actually have company-wide benefits, “Being able to work remotely, from any location, creates a more seamless workplace and happier employees. Happier employees are more engaged and passionate about their contributions.”
