SALARY SURVEY 2013 - Robert Walters Singapore

KUALALUMPURKUALALUMPUROIL&GASKUALALUMPUROIL&GASOuroilandgasupstreamdivisionwasestablishedin2012ontherecruitmentofhigh-calibresubsurfacespecialists.Thedivisionplacesexperiencedprofessionalsinbothmultinationalandmedium-sizedenterprisesinMalaysia,aswellasacrosstheregion.Werecruitformostsubsurfaceroleswithaparticularfocusongeologists,geophysicists,petrophysicistsandreservoirengineers.MarketOverviewMalaysia'sabundantnaturalresourceshavecreatedamplejobopportunitiesforspecialistsintheoilandgasindustry.Itisthesecondlargestexporterofliquefiednaturalgas(LNG)intheworldandprovidesupto20%ofJapan’sLNGneeds.Asaresult,joblevelswerehighasMalaysiancompaniesstrovetoincreasetheproductionofnaturalgastomeetgrowingdemand.Inparticular,firmswerekeentohiretosupportthelaunchofprojects,explorationanddevelopmentsitesacrosstheregion.Thisledtoasubsequentdemandforreservoirengineersspecialisinginthefieldsofstudiesandsimulation.Theseprojectsalsoledtobothoperatorsandspecialistservicecompanieshiringgeophysicistswithstrong2D/3Dseismicdatainterpretationskills,aswellasquantitativeinterpretation(QI)specialistsatthemidtoseniorlevel.Thenewlaunchofexplorationanddevelopmentprojectsfurtherfuelledthedemandforoperationsanddevelopmentgeologistsacrosstheregion.Inparticular,candidatesproficientingeomodeling,analysis,interpretationandcharacterisationwerefrequentlysought-after.Candidateswithregionalexperiencewerealsoactivelysoughtbecauseoftheirabilitytoaddvalue,withfirmshiringthosewhocouldprovideregionalexpertiseatthecrucialkick-offstagesoftheirprojects.Academicqualificationswereaprerequisiteforallrolesand,despitethelargesizeoftheoilandgasindustry,thetalentpoolofprofessionalswithnicheskillsetsremainedlimited.Candidateswereawareoftheirmarketvalueandgenerallyhadrealisticsalaryexpectationsbasedontheirexperienceandindividualskillsets.Manywereconfidentenoughtoseeknewjobsbutconsideredsalaryandbenefits,careergrowthandopportunitiesforoverseastransfersbeforemakingamove.Outlookfor2013Hiringlevelsarelikelytoremainhighwithintheoilandgasindustryacrossallsub-sectors.Mostfirmsarelikelytoexpandtheirheadcountaftersecuringcrucialprojectsandthereforerequireadditionalstaffing.Fullyqualifiedandexperiencedsubsurfaceprofessionalsarelikelytobesought-afterintandemwiththerisingnumberofprojectsinthisarea.Recruitmentactivitywillpotentiallybedrivenbyfactorsincludingchangingprojectrequirements,relaxedgovernmentlegislationcreatingariseinforeigninvestmentinMalaysiaandthepressuretomeettheever-increasingenergydemandinAsiaPacific.Personaldevelopmentopportunitieshavealwaysbeen,andarelikelytocontinuetobeasuccessfultoolinstaffattractionandretention.Companiesareincreasinglylookingtosupportyoungprofessionalsthroughtheiracademicyearsandthenofferthemjobsstraightfromuniversity.Salarylevelsarelikelytoremainsteady,butmaybecomemorecompetitiveasorganisationsvietoattractthebesttalentfromlimitedpool.Withemployersstartingtorecognisetheimportanceoftalentretention,candidatesarelesslikelytochangeroles.Inparticular,returningoverseascandidatesarelikelytohavesignificantlyhighersalaryexpectationsduetotheirinternationalexposure,provenabilitytoexcelinmulticulturalenvironmentsandexposuretoinnovativetechnologiesandawiderangeofgeographicalprojects.OIL&GASROLEPERMANENTSALARYPERANNUM$US6-10YRS'EXP 11-15YRS'EXP 16-25+YRS'EXP2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013ReservoirEngineers $84-112k+ $84-112k+ $112-124k+ $112-124k+ $134-194k+ $134-194k+Petrophysicists $60-99.7k $60-99.7k $70-121k+ $70-121k+ $149-155k+ $149-155k+Geologists $60-99.7k $60-99.7k $70-121k+ $70-121k+ $149-155k+ $149-155k+Geophysicists $60-99.7k $60-99.7k $70-121k+ $70-121k+ $149-155k+ $149-155k+NB:Figuresarebasicsalariesexclusiveofbenefits/bonusesunlessotherwisespecified.343RobertWaltersGlobalSalarySurvey2013