Oil price is back in news with a vigour and  so is the demand for offshore and onshore drillers. Trump’s ‘drill, baby,drill’ narrative has definitely brought drillers back into business as hiring focus is shifting back to fossil fuel and drilling activity is increasing in 2025, with several regions experiencing notable growth.

Though experts find it difficult to put numbers to the trend, they said that about 20 per cent increase in demand for drillers has been seen.

According to Manish Ambawani, Managing Partner - GreenTree Advisory Services (a boutique global human resources solution provider that focuses on client-centric recruitment services) said, “Yes, hiring has shifted back toward core oil and gas, but with eyes still on the transition. It’s no longer “full-speed renewables,” but rather “selective diversification”.

“Oil and gas talent is back in demand —Traditional upstream and midstream roles, especially in drilling, reservoir engineering, and project operations are experiencing a resurgence. There’s renewed investment in fossil fuel assets, especially in geographies like the Middle East, and the US. As the energy sector continues to evolve, professionals with cross-sector skills in both traditional and renewable energy sources are in high demand,” he told businessline.

Prioritising fossil fuel

“Several oil companies have reduced investments in renewable energy and are prioritising fossil fuel production. BP, for example, is not only cutting renewable energy investment by $5 billion, it is transferring its offshore wind projects into a joint venture to refocus on fossil fuels. Shell is also reducing jobs in its offshore wind division. It is mainly due to short-term profitability and shareholder pressure,” Senior Energy Analyst, Petroleum Economist, Ehsan Ul-Haq said, adding that without clear policy or market shifts, this trend might persist in the short-term only as in the long-term decarbonisation pressures could reverse it.

Umud Shokri, Energy Strategist and senior visiting fellow at George Mason University, agrees that “there is no clear shift from green energy back to conventional oil and gas, instead, both sectors are experiencing strong hiring growth in 2025.”

Oil and gas hiring is rebounding due to policy support, energy security needs, and advancements like carbon capture, he said. “Workforce mobility between sectors is high, with professionals leveraging transferable skills to move across industries. Overall, the trend reflects parallel growth and increasing integration, not a reversal, as both sectors play vital roles in the global energy transition,” he added.

On drillers he said,“In 2025, drillers are seeing a strong resurgence in demand despite global economic uncertainties. Unlike previous downturns, stable oil prices—supported by OPEC+ controls and geopolitical tensions—are sustaining drilling activity.”

Rig demand

Globally, rig demand is rising, with onshore drilling projected to grow nearly 30 per cent over 2021 levels, particularly in China, Russia, and the Middle East, he said adding, “Even with limited rig supply, utilisation is improving, supported by investments in automation and digital technologies. Emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Nigeria, and the UAE are also contributing to global demand, offering opportunities for adaptable and skilled workers. While regulatory and environmental challenges persist, the outlook for drillers in 2025 is broadly optimistic.”

“In both IT and offshore operations speed of work coming to India is accelerating. India will be at the centre of how global companies deploy tech talent and tools for business transformation. However, hiring will slow down as companies feel that there are opportunities to leverage use of AI to boost productivity in the short term. As we speak companies are relooking at talent models and how they can be deployed with newer skills and capabilities for the future l,” said Nitin Sethi CEO AON, India and South Asia.

According to Perer J Jarka-Sellers, Policy Associate at Run On Climate, “The short answer is yes but the magnitude of the effect will be limited and is still not clear. Policy shocks to boost fossil fuels and harm the clean energy sector are taking a toll on US clean energy companies. Almost all are contending with lower growth expectations and both uncertain and unfavorable policy.”

“Many clean energy companies are expecting lower profits and volumes, in turn leading to shelved expansion plans, hiring freezes, or some degree of layoffs. A few clean energy companies are in more severe financial trouble. Projects have been cancelled and significant investments in clean energy manufacturing capacity have been scrapped. Employment in clean energy deployment and manufacturing has thereby been affected and will not reach the levels that were projected even a year ago,” he added.

He said that employment in the oil and gas sectors has also not kept pace with increased production.

Published on June 22, 2025