Okay.
Within our own borders there is increasing cross-country competition, with major projects coming online, such as shipbuilding on both the east and west coasts, mine openings, and other mega projects like LNG trains and pipelines, to mention just a few.
International opportunities as well continue to cause a drain on our skilled workforce, as workers seek opportunities or are recruited from abroad for both temporary and long-term employment. Canada's energy service sector workers at all levels, from field to engineering, are considered to be some of the most well-trained, safest, and overall best-in-class experts in the world, so other countries are on the ground in Canada recruiting on a regular basis.
The final challenge has to do with the energy services sector image. In many ways, the oil and gas services sector is hidden from the potential labour pool. Jobs in this sector do not hold the same reputation or are as visible as jobs with producer companies, for instance. In many cases, people are not aware of the energy services sector at all and do not know about the wide range of occupations that make up the sector, including the high-tech jobs.
Jobs in the petroleum services sector are incorrectly viewed by potential workers as unstable, cyclical, seasonal, unsafe, or low-tech. In reality, companies in the oil and gas services sector are earning well-respected and rightly deserved reputations for leadership in research and development and innovation. They are delivering ever-increasing highly technical products and services, but continue to battle against an image of employing mostly unskilled workers.
To overcome this challenge, the Petroleum Services Association of Canada has been working to increase the awareness of the petroleum services supply and manufacturing sector and the abundant opportunities that do exist.
The Petroleum Services Association recently commissioned a study to identify the most in-demand occupations and the potential labour pools within Canada where related transferrable skills to perform those jobs might be located. The most in-demand occupations identified by our member companies are heavy equipment operators, heavy duty equipment mechanics, welders, truck drivers, petroleum services operators, petroleum services semi-skilled workers, including labourers, helpers, and experienced rig workers, and chemical, mechanical, and petroleum engineers.
Of the more than 5,000 new petroleum services jobs to be filled by 2015, the seven occupations in highest demand just listed will represent 25% of that requirement. As well, hiring due to age-related attrition will continue to 2015 and beyond, which will be a driving force behind 9,500 existing jobs the industry will need to fill over the next few years.
PSAC member companies always strive to hire Canadians first and foremost. Many jobs in this sector normally require some entry-level skills as well as specific on-the-job training. Many of the skills in the highest demand are not acquired through post-secondary training, and it is our member companies who ultimately provide in-house training programs to prepare workers for their jobs and ever-advancing positions of responsibility. Although Canadian workers may hold the basic skills needed to perform these jobs, the challenges previously identified impact their willingness to accept the work offered. This is a significant factor behind why our member companies look to seek workers from outside the country.
The Petroleum Services Association applauds the action taken in recent months by all levels of government to address the skilled labour shortage but recognizes more work needs to be done. Areas where government can continue to assist include maintaining or creating tax incentives and/or other incentive programs to encourage the recruitment of workers from all regions of the country, reducing or streamlining regulatory barriers faced by employers when attempting to locate and retain skilled labour from outside Canada's borders, and encouraging consultation with industry to find mechanisms to help companies with U.S. or other international operations to bring existing experienced employees into Canada as a temporary measure when required.
The Petroleum Services Association of Canada welcomes dialogue with all levels of government on this issue, and I wish to encourage the members of the committee and all members of the House to continue to consult with industry and with the trade associations, so that together we can find the solutions that will help build the critical human capital needed to support Canada's economic growth as a whole, now and into the future.
Thank you very much.