The Great Crew Change - Research Paper Example

This crisis which resulted into a significant gap in the workforce by both ages and experience was referred to as the great crew change. The great crew change has created major dilemmas to the oil industry as the baby boomers are currently approaching their retirement age leaving insufficient and less experienced workers to continue with the projects. This presents a possibility of losing the tribal knowledge in the sector, irrespective of how hard and vigorous the recruitment drive is done. This paper will therefore discuss the impacts of the great crew change, its scope of effect and the overall steps that have been made to mitigate the situation (Clark, Davidson, Guilford & Parry, 2006).

The expected mass exodus of experienced petroleum engineers is expected to have impacts on various countries including but not excluded to the United States. The depression that affected the oil industry in the 80s and 90s affected major developed economies and this has been attributed to the experience gap that is currently witnessed in the industry. Companies operating in the oil and gas industries in different countries of the world are facing the great crew change according to a workforce forum conducted in cape town in 2008.

Despite the fact that the United States statistics on workforce gap being available, the effects have been felt in other countries with some countries suffering from the knowledge gap most (Irgens, 2008). According to the Brazilian NOC petrobras, the 90s was occasioned by minimal recruitment of geoscientists and petroleum engineers. This resulted into a situation where the scientists in the company either have 10 years less experience or even more that 20 in some instances. The Indian economy and oil industry has also been affected by this phenomenon according to the Indian national oil company which believes that the perceptions that were created in the 80s and 90s pushed away potential engineers (Clark,