Canadian oil and natural gas employment remained lean in 2022 as the industry directed price gains into shareholder benefits, debt repayments and efficiency programs, according to a recent labor market report.
The 2022 workforce remained “virtually unchanged” at 184,100 after a marginal loss of 500 positions or 0.2% from 184,600 in 2021, said the Petroleum Labor Market Information (PetroLMI) division of Energy Safety Canada.
The exploration, production, field services and pipeline total maintained a partial recovery from the sharp decline in 2020 when the pandemic eroded the global economy and decimated energy markets.
Canadian oil and gas employment last year increased by 20,900 or 13% from 2020, but “it remained significantly below the peak of 225,900 in 2014,” PetroLMI researchers noted.
As the aging mainstay of Canadian production, Alberta continues to feel the years-long effects of field technology changes and increasingly strict national environmental and decarbonization policies on oil and gas development.
“In 2022, three-quarters of the energy industry’s employment was in Alberta,” PetroLMI researchers said. “Employment in Alberta’s energy industry averaged 136,000 in 2022 – down 4,200 or 3% compared to 2021.”
The Canadian industry’s employment flat line hit women in the workforce the most, while the number of men in the industry remained unchanged. The recorded number of female workers in Canadian oil and gas field services dropped by 900 in 2022, partially offset by an increase of 400 in the pipeline sector, PetroLMI noted.
The Labor Department’s Canada Occupational Projection System has predicted 14,000 oil and gas jobs would open up by 2031. The forecast was done as company behavior evolved with gains from product price increases last year.
