In a recent post about the 100-year old pipeline we learned that the expertise and experience of veteran pipeline professionals is crucial in keeping pipelines safe. In fact, passing knowledge from one generation of workers to the next contributes to the safety culture of the entire industry.
But who are veteran pipeline workers going to pass their knowledge along to?
An aging workforce. For instance, the average age of a welder in the Canadian energy and resources industry is 56 years of age. Attrition of the workforce as these people retire is expected to continue over the next decade.
A shortage of graduates with the required skill sets, from universities or colleges.
The loss of workers who were laid off and have moved to another location or industry.
Based on rising oil prices, and regulatory approval of proposed projects, there is projected to be an increase in capital projects. That means that workforce demand for critical occupations in the pipeline industry should start increasing in 2017, and is expected to peak in 2021.
The study identified 13 comparable industries that use workers with similar skill sets and occupations. Some of these industries, such as the heavy and civil engineering industry, have a low projected growth and could provide a source of suitable employees. For instance, there is a projected shortage of 2,000 welders and related machine operators in 2021. But there is a supply of 50,000 welders in comparable industries.
Also, most of those workers in comparable industries are in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, where the demand is also expected to be the greatest.
It has long been our goal as an industry to engage and work with the Aboriginal community as much as possible. This need for workers in critical occupations provides an opportunity to partner with Aboriginal communities in skills development or educational programs.
You can read more about these labour projections in the CEPA Foundation's Industry-wide Pipeline Workers Supply and Demand Outlook to 2025 (PDF).
You can also read about the kinds of talented young people who are pursuing careers in the pipeline industry in 'How young pipeliners are shaping the future of the energy industry'.