The oil bust that started in mid-2014 has cost Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes more than 12,000 jobs, and The Courier reports signs are mounting that many of them won’t return anytime soon, if at all.
“There is a real concern,” says Gifford Briggs, Louisiana Oil and Gas Association acting president. “We continue to improve in technology, and we continue to need fewer rigs, which means we need fewer people. There’s reason for concern that even though we have a recovery, it’s not going to look like where we once were.”
The downturn has forced companies to find more efficient ways to do business, including decreasing the number of workers employed. Automation also has impacted the industry, as employers rely on machines to do more of the tedious—and often dangerous—work required on drilling rigs. And Bloomberg has previously reported that a third to one-half of the 440,000 jobs the industry lost worldwide may never come back.
Joseph Orgeron, chief technology officer of Montco Offshore Liftboats in Houma, says jobs of the future in the oil and gas industry will require different skills.
“Post BP-spill, there’s a lot more compliance and regulation that we have to contend with,” Orgeron says. “The gritty, gruffy oilfield worker of yesteryear, there’s always a place for them, but in the future, boat companies and oil services support companies will need college-educated people to assist with this high-level of compliance.”
