The PetroLMI Division of Energy Safety Canada has released new data on its Careers in Oil + Gas website to enhance the available labour market information for the oil and gas industry.

In April 2020, Canada’s oil and gas industry employed approximately 169,620 workers – reflecting a 4.4 per cent decrease (or –7,700) from March 2020.

Employment and Labour Force Data Dashboard

PetroLMI gathers labour market data to compile and provide timely industry-specific information to career practitioners and planners, researchers, governments and the wider oil and gas industry. Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, specific to the oil and gas industry, from Statistics Canada is available monthly on PetroLMI’s Employment and Labour Force Data Dashboard. Visitors can use the data to understand and react to the current realities of the Canadian labour market.

The data provides a picture of the labour force for Canada’s oil and gas industry for those 15 years of age and over who were employed or unemployed, and available to the labour market, specifically within the following industry sub-sectors: exploration and production (including oil sands), oil and gas services and pipeline transmission. The information can be viewed by sub-sector and by region across Canada.

A robust approach

In addition to the usual LFS data that PetroLMI has provided – the dashboard now includes employment by age, by type of work (i.e., full-time or part-time) and class of worker (i.e., employee or self-employed) on a monthly basis, and employment by sex on an annual basis. The additional data points allow users to further explore workforce trends.

“PetroLMI identified a gap in the readily available industry labour market information,” says Carol Howes, Vice President of Energy Safety Canada’s Communications and PetroLMI. “Statistics Canada collects and shares LFS data with the public monthly, but information specific to the oil and gas industry is a custom data set. This custom information is available for free on CareersinOilandGas.com.”

Due to a variety of factors such as a prolonged downturn due to declining oil prices, the current global pandemic and seasonal variations in oil field activity levels, many oil and gas organizations are currently operating with a lean workforce – including business operations that support workforce planning such as human resources departments. Additional resources such as these can provide relief to those relying on this type of information.

Making enhanced labour market data readily available aligns with PetroLMI’s mandate to provide the latest information, tools and resources to support and advance Canada’s oil and gas workforce. This initiative is funded by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program.

Visit the Employment and Labour Force Data Dashboard to view the latest statistics for employment in Canada’s oil and gas industry.

Photo caption: PetroLMI’s new data point additions to the Employment and Labour Force Data Dashboard

The Petroleum Labour Market Information (PetroLMI) Division of Energy Safety Canada is a leading resource for labour market information and trends in Canada's energy industry. PetroLMI specializes in providing oil and gas labour market data and insights, as well as resources for workforce and career planning.