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That may sound like a sweet deal in an era of 7.2% unemployment in the country, but the oil and gas industry suffers from a perception problem as young people appear to be shunning the industry in favour of technology companies focused on social media and apps.

“If you look at the generation coming out of school these days, there is a lot of interest in industries perceived as being sexier. That’s where a lot of technology-minded individuals are moving,” said Jim Fearon, regional director at Hays Canada. “Also, Canada is very environmentally-focused and I do think it plays a part in peoples’ career choices.”

The trend of fewer young Canadians entering the oil and gas labour force is at odds with the rest of the world. Only 18% of the current Canadian oil and gas labour force is under 35, while that age group makes up 33% of the world’s oil and gas labour market, the report noted.

“Canada has too many older employees – 42% are between 35 and 49 years old, and another 40% are 50 years old and over.”

While the sector in most developed countries is facing the structural issue of ageing workforces, the problem is most pronounced in North America as Silicon Valley and smart technology companies absorb all the technical talent.

More than half of Canadian oil and gas companies cite skills shortages as a major issue, but 73% expect to increase hiring in the next 12 months, primarily due to the flood of oil and gas projects in the works.

Alberta oil sands production alone is set to double to 3.8 million over the next decade, while the liquefied natural gas projects will also require significant labour force.