The Decade Ahead 2010 2020 Labour Market Projections and Analysis
Hot Jobs and Careers in the Oil Sands
1. Hot Jobs and Careers in the Oil Sands
May 7, 2013
2. Facilitator/Presenters
Facilitator
• 2
Presenters
Jane Malimban:
• Labour Market Information (LMI) Advisor
• Economics, Research and Analysis, Writing, Project Coordination
Claudine Vidallo, PMP:
• Labour Market Information (LMI) Project Manager
• Business Management, Strategic Planning, Project and Product
Management, Research and Analysis
Jean Symborski:
• Communications Coordinator
• Writing, Editing, Photography, New Media
3. Agenda
• Oil and Gas in Canada
– Oil and gas segments: upstream, midstream & downstream
– Petroleum sectors: exploration & production, oil sands, oil and
gas services and pipeline
• Oil Sands Sector
– Overview
– Operations type: mining, in situ & upgrading
• Hot Jobs and Careers
– How do I get a job?
– Resources
4. Today we are going to look at careers in…
Oil and Gas
…and we we‘re not just talking about
this
…or this
5. What is Petroleum?
Natural Gas Oil
When we’re talking about petroleum, we’re talking about natural gas
and oil.
6. Canada’s Oil & Gas Industry
• 3rd largest natural gas producer
• 6th largest crude oil producer (rank increasing with oil sands)
• Employs about 550,000 people in Canada (directly and indirectly)
• Energy is now Canada’s largest export sector (took over from
automobile industry in 2003)
• Industry payments to governments: $18 Billion
• Over 3,000 products we use everyday are made from petroleum
• Long history: first well in Canada was in 1858
7. Oil & Gas in Canada
Map: Canadian Centre for Energy Information
8. Oil & Gas in Canada
Map: Canadian Centre for Energy Information
Western Canadian
Sedimentary Basin
9. How does the Oil & Gas Industry Work?
Upstream
Midstream
Downstream
12. A Closer Look at Pipelines
Source: Canadian Energy Pipeline Association
13. Downstream
Making it useful for
consumers
• Refineries
• Petrochemical companies
• Natural gas distribution
utilities
• Then sell it!
Photos: Suncor
14. Petroleum Sectors Included in our Labour Market
Information
• Exploration & Production
• Oil Sands
• Oil & Gas Services
• Pipeline
Current Oil & Gas Workforce
(2012 = 195,200)
37%
31%
48%
7%
Exploration and
Production
Oil Sands
Services
Pipeline
15. Oil Sands Sector
Oil sands operations sector:
Extraction, production and upgrading of
bitumen
Bitumen:
Heavy, viscous form of crude oil, often
found in oil sand deposits
Operations types:
• Mining: activities to explore and
recover oil sands reserves through
open pit mines
• In situ: activities to explore and
recover oil sands reserves in place or in
situ, by drilling wells
• Upgrading: converting bitumen into a
product with a lower density and
viscosity
25. Hot Jobs and Careers in the Oil Sands
• Power engineers (steam-ticketed operators)
• Heavy equipment operators
• Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
• Facility operation and maintenance managers
• Engineering managers
• Petroleum engineers
• Mechanical engineers
• Primary production managers
• Industrial electricians
• Millwrights and machinists
26. Labour Shortages
Oil sands operations are very technical and require a highly skilled
workforce. Shortages of some occupations pose a greater risk than others:
• Power engineers
• Sustainability-related occupations – stakeholder relations,
environmental, health and safety roles
• Human resource professionals
• Supply chain workers – logistics, procurement and contract
management
• Managers and supervisors
• Industry-specific workers – petroleum engineers and geoscience
professionals
27. Direct, Indirect and Induced Jobs
• Approximately 380,000 direct and indirect jobs will be supported by
investment in the oil sands sector over the next decade
• Majority of jobs are expected to be in Alberta
• Jobs will also be sustained across Canada particularly in:
• Ontario
• British Columbia
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• Atlantic Canada
• Overall, more than half a million jobs will be sustained across Canada
(direct, indirect and indirect) over the next decade.
• Additional jobs are also created or ‘induced’ in the broader economy.
28. How Do I Get a Job in the Oil Sands?
Just like preparing for any real job hunt:
• Understand the industry and the different sectors
• Research oil sands careers
• Get your resume and cover letter ready
• Practice your interviewing skills
• Understand your transferrable skills
• Talk to a Career Advisor/Counsellor
• Research companies in advance
• Be willing to re-locate
35. For more information
Visit www.careersinoilandgas.com to
sign up for our e-Newsletter
Follow us @careersinoandg
Like us www.facebook.com/careersinoilandgas
www.slideshare.net/PetroHRCouncil
Editor's Notes
We cover four petroleum sectors: exploration and production (E&P), oil sands, oil and gas services and pipeline.Current total industry size is approximately195,200 workers. E&P:Onshore activity for conventional oil and gas reserves and unconventional reserves excluding oil sands.Oil Sands: Extraction and upgrading of bitumenOil & Gas Services: Contracted exploration, extraction and production services to the E&P and oil sands sectors. Pipeline: Mainline transmission for transporting daily crude oil and natural gas production in Canada.
Since 1967, Canada has been commercially producing oil from the oil sands. Initially, bitumen was extracted using huge shovels and trucks and open-pit mining techniques. However, only 20 per cent of Canada’s known oil sands resource is close enough to the surface to be mined.The other 80 per cent of Canada’s oil sands resource is deeper or in situand requires different extraction technologies, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), to bring the bitumen to the surface. As the name suggests, steam is used in SAGD to soften the bitumen so it can be pumped to the surface. In many ways, SAGD is similar to conventional oil production in that it uses horizontal drilling and wells.Upgrading is a process manufacturing operation that converts bitumen into a product similar to light conventional oil. It also produces a number of other useful by-products, such as sulphur which is used in the manufacturing of fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and other products.
Key job family = A series of related jobs distinguished by levels of knowledge, skills, abilities and other factors. e.g., field workers, operators, trades, technologists and technicians.
In situ operations are closely related to conventional oil and gas because of the need to drill wells to access deep reserves of bitumen. For this reason, common occupations include petroleum engineers, petroleum engineering technologists and geoscience professionals.Mining operations are focused on hiring employees to operate and maintain the heavy equipment used for open-pit mining and the plant operations that separate the bitumen from sand. As a result, common occupations include heavy equipment operators, heavy-duty mechanics and trades such as industrial electricians, millwrights and welders.Upgrading operations involve processing bitumen into other petroleum products and therefore, occupations are primarily concentrated on plant operations and maintenance. Since the upgrading process involves the use of boilers and pressure vessels, plant operators are certified steam-ticketed operates (i.e., power engineers).
Careers that are common in all three production types are:Engineering managersFacility operation and maintenance managers Mechanical engineers Power engineers (steam-ticketed operators)
The Canadian oil sands region is home to an estimated 173 billion barrels of oil, or about 97% of Canada's total oil reserves.By 2022: In Situ operations will employ half (50 per cent) of the oil sands workforceMining operations will remain a key employer in the sector, accounting for 35 per cent of the workforceUpgrading will employ 15 per cent of the workforceIn 2012, Canada’s oil sands sector directly employed 22,342 workers. This included:9,079 jobs in in situ operations8,884 jobs in mining operations4,379 jobs in upgradingAs conventional sources of energy begin to decline, the Canadian oil sands will become a significant source of global energy for future generations.
Power engineers will be in the highest demand in the oil sands sector over the next decade. Power engineers make up almost 25 per cent of both in situ and upgrading operations hiring.Sustainability-related occupations, such as stakeholder relations, environmental, health and safety roles, will experience above-average employment growth. Workers in these types of occupations ensure a balanced approach to business development and obtaining the social license to operate.Human resources professionals will be in high demand, as organizational effectiveness and recruiting, retaining and developing human capital continue to be key business concerns.Shortages of supply chain, logistics, procurement and contract management workers could create bottlenecks and impact expansion schedules. These types of workers are responsible for securing or coordinating required materials, equipment, products and services. Retirements amongst managers and supervisors will lead to a loss of knowledge, experience and mentoring capacity and will have a negative impact on workforce development and productivity. Retirement of industry-specific workers, such as petroleum engineers and geoscience professionals, are more difficult to address because of the limited labour supply pool. Workers in these occupations are typically hired as new graduates and developed within the industry.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a career in oil and gas? Day in the Life profiles are exactly that, profiles of real people that have a career in oil and gas. Get the whole story from the people in the field, as they tell you about their typical days on the job, what they love about their career and how they got started.
Don’t know where you fit in a career in oil and gas? Our occupational summaries are everything you need to know about work, education and career paths for specific occupations in oil and gas.
