Job fears grow among British North Sea oil workers: survey

[LONDON] Britain's North Sea oil workers have become increasingly worried about their job prospects and more of them are considering a move abroad, a quarterly survey shows.

Energy giants including Shell, BP and Chevron have already announced hundreds of North Sea job cuts, squeezed by high operating costs and a steep plunge in crude oil prices.

Nearly three quarters of respondents to a British oil workers' survey carried out by Rigzone, an oil and gas recruitment service, said they were considering work outside Britain, much higher than in the previous survey published in January.

The survey published on Wednesday showed that nearly a quarter of respondents said they were not confident about their career prospects in Britain over the coming five years, compared with 9 per cent in January.

British offshore workers have already started showing their discontent by voting in support of industrial action over changes to their employment terms.

REUTERS