The Office for National Statistics (ONS) give figures for employment classified to the oil and gas extraction sector, which includes not only those engaged in extraction offshore and onshore but also certain classes of services peculiar to the industry. Many oil related jobs such as construction workers are classified to other industries and are not included in ONS figures. Revised figures from ONS show employment rising from 29,300 in 1978 to peak at just over 40,000 in 1991, before falling sharply to below 28,000 in 1994 and 1995. Oil related employment recovered to remain mainly within the range 30,000 and 32,000 from 1996 onwards.

Figures for offshore employment have been collected since 1967. The first annual surveys collected only numbers employed offshore on rigs and platforms and showed employment at just over 1,000 workers in 1967, rising steadily through the 1970s to 12,500 in 1978, before falling back in 1979. From 1980 onwards the survey included workers on pipe-laying vessels, crane barges, supply and standby vessels. The new survey showed offshore employment at 22,000 workers in 1980, rising to 31,300 in 1984, before slumping to near 22,000 in 1986. Offshore employment rose again to peak at 36,500 in 1990, after which there was a general downward trend with attempts to reduce costs. However, the 1993 and 1995 figures were both unexpectedly high due to the number of large fields under development on the day of the survey.

The offshore surveys are co-ordinated by Inland Revenue, with industry support provided through UKOOA (UK Offshore Operators Association), as the main purpose was to assist with tax compliance in the offshore oil and gas industry. Aggregated results are distributed to government and industry bodies and are used, for example, by the Health and Safety Executive and UKOOA to calculate accident and safety statistics. Changes were introduced in the September 1996 survey following an Inland Revenue initiative, which also assisted the industry aim to improve the accuracy of accident statistics. In 2002, the survey was conducted quarterly. The estimate for 31 August 2002 was some 22,200, whereas that for February 2003 was 18,900. These offshore employment figures are shown together with the ONS oil sector figures in the following chart.

Employment in the oil and gas sector, and employment offshore, 1978 to 2002

LOGIC (Leading Oil & Gas Industry Competitiveness - www.logic-oil.com) is currently project managing the development and implementation of a new system known as Vantage POB (Personnel On Board) on behalf of the 14 largest UKCS oil and gas companies. This system will capture immediately more than 75% of all UKCS oil and gas offshore movements, with the remaining data added later. It will provide a standardised approach to logistics data and better quality statistical information. Vantage is expected to be operational by February 2004, and LOGIC will then be the Managed Service Provider (MSP) for the system.

A study commissioned by UKOOA and summarised in the UKOOA Economic Report 2002 shows that some 265,000 jobs were supported by the offshore oil and gas industry in 2001. This total included some 104,000 jobs in the oil and gas industry and its direct suppliers, some 67,000 in the rest of the supply chain, and a further 94,000 jobs dependent on the spending of employment income by those in the 171,000 directly and indirectly supported jobs. Around 31% of these jobs were in Scotland and 26% in London and the South East, but oil related jobs exist in almost every part of the country. This means that some 6% of the Scottish workforce are dependent on the oil and gas industry.

This data was last updated on : July 2003 and is due to be updated on : June 2004

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