Hays Global Oil & Gas Recruiting: Jameson Berkow

Matt Underhill Dept: Q What makes the current situation different from the labour crisis of 2008?, according to Vancouver Sun. Q Won't that intensify what some are calling the global energy talent war and the labour crunch in Canada's oil patch is not yet as bad as it was in the months leading up to the global recession in 2008, but Matt Underhill warns it could become far worse if firms do not adapt and expand their recruiting tactics. The managing director of Hays Global Oil & Gas Recruiting stopped by the Financial Post bureau in Calgary to tell Jameson Berkow how executives can continue growing their workforce in the face of what appears to be a shrinking talent supply base. The following is an edited transcription of their conversation. A If you look at the global demand, the pre-recession levels of 2008 and 2007 were pretty crazy in a lot of places, here being one of them. But it wasn't uniform. I think the levels of demand here, in the North Sea, maybe Houston to a point, were beyond anything anyone had seen and were sustained over many years so salaries had gotten to silly levels. So the difference between now and what happened in 2008 was that in 2008 it was certain geographic markets. Today it's a global phenomenon. There are very few countries now that are sitting on the sidelines when it comes to energy or acquisition or development or being a part of that supply chain. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.