1. HUMAN RESSOURCES
GAS STAFF
Delivering on talent
B
y 2040 the global demand for energy is projected to
increase by about 37% (IEA, WEO 2014 ) with natu-
ral gas expected to grow faster than any other fossil
fuel. In fact, by 2030 natural gas is projected to become the
leading fuel in the OECD energy mix. The aggregate glo-
bal investment required to cover the global energy needs
over the coming two decades is estimated to amount to an
astounding sums of over $48 trillion (IEA, WEIO2014 ).
Gas companies bare a great responsibility for mustering
the required capital and effectively employing a highly skil-
led workforce to optimally direct and manage the hugely
valuable assets in order to meet the global increase in
energy demand. Furthermore, with society’s expectation to-
wards environmental and social responsibility continuously
growing, gas companies will also be required to work much
harder in order to maintain their license to operate and
secure public acceptance.
In order to ensure the delivery of natural gas in a safe and
reliable manner, the gas industry must attract and deve-
lop the most competent employees. Gas professionals will
have to be capable of providing solutions that are not only
technically feasible and economically effective, but which
are also accepted by society.
As competition for top talent is increasing throughout the
global workforce market, the gas industry should pledge its
full commitment to ensuring that talented human capital
is continuously available. The industry must comprehend
incontestably that any underperformance by the human
element, translates into wastefulness that must be com-
pensated by additional capital investments, proportional to
the human deficit.
Six years ago, the IGU established a dedicated Task Force
(TF1) and charged it with understanding the key issues im-
pacting the attraction, development and retention of talent
in the gas industry.
Every three years TF1 combines a team of 50-60 HR specia-
lists and gas professionals from top gas companies across
the world in order to produce an independent benchmark
report dedicated to human capital in the gas industry.
The 2015 TF1 report ‘Delivering on Talent’ will be launched
during the 26th
World Gas Conference in Paris this June. It
entails a mountain of information regarding human capital
in the gas industry, being a rewarding read for HR profes-
sionals in general as well as energy executives who think
strategically. Below is one of the many stories to be found
in the 2015 TF1 report.
Women in the Gas industry Today
During the workshop dedicated to Women in Engineering
organized in Paris by the UNESCO and the IGU, Mr. Geta-
chew Engida Deputy Director General of UNESCO stated
that “No country can afford to ignore 50% of its human
resources.” TF1 believe that neither can the gas industry.
In contrast with the above, the TF1 report show that pre-
sently women account for only a reduced percentage in
the gas industry’s workforce and tend to work mostly in
support/ non-technical functions, while being largely omit-
ted from executive positions. The findings in figures 3.3.1
below illustrate that the gas industry continues to remain
a male dominated industry where 3 out of 4 employees are
men and over half the gas companies globally employ over
95% male managers.
Furthermore, women’s interest in the gas industry is signi-
ficantly lower than the interest shown by men. Figure 3.3.3
below suggests that about 60% of companies globally,
have less than 30% of their job applications coming from
women.
Despite the modest results presented above, gas compa-
nies seem to be doing a good job in accommodating female
professionals once they have joined the sector. The vast
majority of female professionals working in the gas industry
feel they can indeed fulfil their career expectations within
the gas sector. Furthermore, although gas companies hire
on average considerably more men than women, it is the
women that tend to stay longer with their companies. The
average attrition rate for female employees is significantly
lower than that of the entire company.
Let no mistake be made, the gas industry is investing sus-
tained efforts towards becoming more female friendly. As
30
27,8 % 21,1 % 26,4 % 18,1 %
25
20
15
10
5
0
Am
ericas
Asia&Oceania
Europe
M
iddle
East&Africa
Global Average
23,8 %
3.3.1 Percentage of Female Employees in the Workforce
Sources : IGU, TF1.
26 • Gaz d’aujourd’hui • n
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2015-2

2. illustrated in figure 3.3.8 below, three quarter of gas com-
panies globally have in place one or more special programs
dedicated to support their female employees. Most of these
programs focus on women returning from maternity leave.
However, in too many cases these efforts appear halfhear-
ted, to a degree ineffective and overall, they fall short of
making the gas industry a ‘female friendly industry’. To re-
medy these circumstances, gas companies should not limit
their actions to what is convenient, but must extend their
efforts to what is actually required.
The TF1 report dedicates ample attention to how the gas
industry can become more attractive and more accommo-
dating to women. Our findings suggest that, in order to at-
tract more female professionals, the first step is to focus on
communicating that women can find good opportunities
within the gas industry. In order to be perceived as ‘female
friendly’, the gas industry should focus firstly on offering
more flexibility to their women employees, by which they
facilitate a better integration of a successful professional
career with a fulfilling family life.
Marius Popescu
Managing director, Energy Brains Consulting
1
International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2014
2
International Energy Agency, World Energy Investment Outlook 2014
M.E. & Africa
Global
Europe
Asia
Americas
< 5 %
4% 4%
4%
14% 14% 29% 36%
8% 15% 15% 15% 31% 15%
4% 4% 19% 26% 44%
5% 29% 14% 24% 29%
8% 58% 33%
6-10 % 11-20 % 21-30 % 31-50 % 51 %
3.3.3 Percentage of Female Applicants in the Total Number of Applications Received by Region
3.3.8 Recognition and Encouragement Programs for Female Employees
50
40
30
20
10
0
20 %
Active professional
network dedicated
to female
employees
26 %
Active inclusion
program in place
for female
employees
13 %
Special mentoring and
coaching for females
53 %
Special programs
for females
returning from
maternity leave
Others
14 %
24%
49%
14%
7%
7%
No programs
1 program
2 programs
3 programs
4 programs
Sources : IGU, TF1.
Sources : IGU, TF1.
HUMAN RESSOURCES
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2015-2 • 27