Approximately 4,000 employees on offshore oil and gas installations had to stop working when Covid-19 restrictions were enforced during March in the UK.
Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) said that the average weekly personnel on board, especially in drilling and construction, decreased from around 11,000 on the 8 March to just over 7,000 a month later.
OGUK’s Workforce Insight report 2020 revealed companies, mainly in the supply chain, used the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme following the fall in oil and gas prices and the introduction of working restrictions.
Author of the report and OGUK and workforce engagement and skills manager, Dr Alix Thom, said that although numbers had increased there was still some concern.
“Numbers have risen steadily since then as industry has adopted a robust swiss cheese barrier model, with a range of preventative measures in place both prior to mobilisation and whilst offshore, which has helped secure more jobs and increase operations in the immediate term.
“Despite this, we continue to see some very worrying signs for employment in the sector, with the uptake of furlough and continued suppression of global energy demand impacting our industry like many others in the wider economy.
“As our report shows, the recruitment and retention of diverse and talented people will be essential as we work to support UK energy needs both now, and in a lower carbon context.
“A North Sea Transition Deal, supported by the UK and Scottish governments, can act as a catalyst for this future, and in so doing will provide certainty on the sustainability for the sector in difficult times.”
OGUK is the main trade association for the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry.