November 6, 2013 - Employees in the global oil and gas industry have always been open to the prospect of working abroad. However in an age of increasing visa restrictions, in some regions, companies are having to look at different ways of finding the right skillsets, including attracting back home grown professionals that have international experience. Global recruitment specialist Hydrogen has seen this trend emerge through recent discussions, both with its international clients and from intelligence gathered from candidates. The company carried out a study (Global Professionals on the Move 2013) earlier this year about the movements, attitudes and priorities of high earning professionals with regards to working abroad.
Although 42% of oil and gas respondents said they saw no barriers to working abroad, of those that did see a barrier, the primary reason was visa restrictions (23%). Companies in countries where visas are hard to come by are now turning to, what Hydrogen calls, ‘return homers’ - home grown professionals who have worked abroad - to fill the gap being created by stringent immigration rules that prevent some professionals from abroad. Ivan Jackson, Managing Director of Hydrogen’s Oil and Gas practice, commented, “It’s striking that the countries which people from the oil and gas industry most want to work in are the US, Australia and Brazil. These countries are popular because of the volume of cutting edge projects that are available but they also have strict visa restrictions.
In these circumstances, ‘return homers’ are becoming an increasingly valuable option for many companies. These people are already familiar with the industrial and cultural landscape of their home country yet have the prized international experience that will add variety, fresh perspective and new skills to a company.” This trend has been particularly noticeable in Asia. One of India’s leading oil & gas companies is an example of a business actively seeking talent to return home. The company needs people with international exposure, but it has to balance this with a commitment to hire Indian nationals, which means that employing ‘return homers’ is an attractive alternative to traditional expats.
The company’s HR Director said, “We want to find the best ‘return homers’, and we are aware of the high standard of living that will have been available to them while living abroad, so we are offering return home candidates competitive packages including attractive stock plans and help with rehousing and schooling, which are benefits typically offered to expats.” Ivan Jackson added, “Where there is a growing demand for talent in the industry, ‘return homers’ are exceptionally valuable because their international experience and skillset is coupled with a cultural understanding which is critical to doing business in the region.”
About Hydrogen Group:
Hydrogen is a global specialist recruitment business, placing exceptional, hard to find candidates in over 70 countries. Our joined up practices combine international reach with local expertise and specialist knowledge.