Posted on 12/30/2016 4:35:28 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The President Elect is doing a lot of pushing and shoving to bring jobs back to the United States (a long overdue move if you ask me) but there’s one sector of growth which is surging right now and it has little to do with his proposals. Ever since OPEC ran up the white flag after we outlasted them in a rock bottom oil market and agreed to limit production, oil prices have been creeping back up to a relatively stable level. That means that production will be coming back online across America, but the pause we experienced since last winter has produced another beneficial side effect. Refineries and other production facilities have had some down time, offering the opportunity to perform much needed, large scale maintenance and upgrades, particularly on the gulf coast. There’s just one problem… they don’t have enough workers to get the job done. (Reuters)
After years of running flat out, U.S. Gulf Coast refiners are lining up repairs to plants in 2017 – but facing a severe labor shortage that could delay work, drive up costs and raise accident risks.
Fuel producers such as Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC.N: Quote) and Valero Energy Corp (VLO.N: Quote) have delayed routine work in the past 24 months amid high margins. Those margins collapsed this year in a global fuel supply glut, providing an incentive for refiners to undertake the shutdowns necessary for maintenance.
But refiners are now competing for pipe fitters and ironworkers with a host of billion-dollar energy projects, including Cheniere Energy’s (LNG.A: Quote) liquefied natural gas export terminals and a new petrochemical unit for Dow Chemical (DOW.N: Quote).
Some of these jobs obviously call for experienced rig workers, but a lot of them offer on the job training and apprenticeship. It’s not just pipe fitters and welders, either. Industry analysts quoted in this report are saying that they can’t even find enough people to erect scaffolding at the refineries. While it requires a certain amount of mobility, this could be a significant opportunity for people to land some very well paying positions which could last for a few years.
This is just part of a larger trend. As the repairs and upgrades are finished and the rig count rises (which is already happening now), the entire industry should see an upswing. (USA Today)
American oil producers, battered by rock-bottom prices in 2016, could be poised for a big comeback and the prospect of creating new jobs for oilfield workers.
The downside? Gasoline prices could head higher for consumers.
After the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and several non-OPEC nations agreed to slash production starting next month, oil prices have spiked, fueling hopes among oil producers that America’s temporarily downtrodden energy sector will shed 2016’s blues in the New Year.
There’s never any news like this which doesn’t come with a downside, and as the USA Today article notes, this means that gas prices will probably start to creep back up. But as U.S. production climbs, supplies will once again stabilize and gas prices should level off well below the highs we experienced a few years back. In the meantime, more jobs which provide good paychecks without requiring an advanced college degree (or any degree in some cases) should provide the sort of stimulus to the American economy that no government handout ever will.
So if you’re looking for a new job, a change of pace and some new scenery, check out any of the many oil industry job sites (such as this one). And besides… who wouldn’t like to fly south for the winter?
Here is a concept or “work”.Work — EAT!! Don’t work — get real skinny!!
Remember GE Sold their plastics business to the Saudis?
They said wind was the future and with oil prices so high they can’t compete.
I guess they bet wrong and are now getting burned.
The oil business has run on boom & bust cycles for as long as I can remember. It’s great to be in it during booms or relatively stable times, but really sucks when down. A lot of laid off oil workers redirected their career paths and just didn’t go back.
What about those too disabled or sick to work? Not shirkers and lay-abouts but actual people who cannot hold a job.
How about then CADD operators, programmers for distributed controls systems and programmable logic controllers. It’s not just the pipe fitters, it’s the piping designers that will be needed. My current employer is getting a lot of request for proposals and building up a healthy backlog. We will be extremely busy as of February.
BTW, I’ll take resumes.
Cheniere is going to need workers forever because of the manner in which workers get to the job. A 30 minute (minimum) bus ride to and from the job site has turned a lot of people off of that job.
Haven't heard anything about the Dow job.
That's what churches are for.
The federal gov’t decided to fund loans for doctors & engineers & we eventually ended up with a bunch of graduates of womyns & ethnic studies. Maybe it’s time to let businesses fund scholarships for the skills they really need.
U got mail.
Churches can help on the edges, but what church is going to provide full support for rent, groceries, medicine, utilities and all the rest? Multiply that by tens of millions of disabled. Does your congregation fully support one or more disabled persons from soup to nuts?
One job I had I had to drive to an airport and was flown to the worksite and the reverse after work.
Did they pay you travel time?
Salary. Government contractor.
So you got paid...and probably not enough. LOL
Las Vegas Janet Terminal. I’m sure.
Ssssshhhhhh.
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