Cooper Lomaz: Uncertainty in Renewables Industry Affects Salaries

In its latest Recruitment Salary Survey , which provides a regional barometer of employment and remuneration, Cooper Lomaz found that the jobs market for oil and gas workers in the region was vibrant, given the proven reserves in the area. But it expressed caution on the renewables sector, which it said was sensitive to government policy. Uncertainty in this area affected investment and therefore salaries, the survey said.

More generally the survey said increased confidence among businesses was driving “modest” rises in wages across the board. The sectors seeing the largest rises in wages were those involving niche skills, such as the engineering and energy sector, with skilled workers with experience in energy-related businesses seeing steady salary increases.

Operations director Mark Fletcher said: “The 2014 salary survey findings are a positive endorsement of the buoyancy of the East Anglian jobs market. There are a lot of quality positions paying good salaries which need filling […] The big challenge for us is to find people with the skill sets our clients are looking for. Employers are displaying more confidence in planning for the future, but many are frustrated by the lack of candidates with the niche skills they need to drive those plans forward.”

EEEGR chief executive Simon Gray welcomed the report, adding it demonstrates the need for the industry to invest in training new skilled staff.

“The industry is at a turning point with demand for qualified workers outstripping supply,” Gray said. He added: “What we need now is increased investment and co-operation between the government, academia and businesses, allowing us to build on the solid foundations that already exist through programmes such as the Military in Industry scheme, the Energy Skills Foundation Programme and the University of East Anglia’s Energy Engineering degree programme.”

Press release, January 15, 2014; Image: Forewind