The oil and gas industry is considered to be booming and it's reflected in hiring trends. When comparing the past 90 days to the same 90-day period last year, the number of job ads posted online in the US grew 17%, according to data from WANTED Analytics. Over the long term, the growth is even more apparent. Oil and gas demand increased 249% when the number of job ads listed in August 2009 is compared to August 2014. 

Hiring Demand for Oil and Gas Jobs - 4 Year Hiring Trend

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

Business Journals recently discussed the increasing need oil and gas talent, particularly for Engineers. In a survey conducted by Rigzone, an industry publication, Engineers were listed as the hardest job to fill by Recruiters in this sector. The growing competition for Engineers is attributed to "more drilling, and the greater use of technology to produce oil and gas." Rigzone went on to list other hot jobs in this sector, which included:

1. Mechanical Engineer
2. Field Service Technician
3. Production Operator
4. Maintenance Technician 
5. Heavy Machinery Operator 
6. Mechanic
7. Petroleum Engineer
8. Geologist
9. Quality Assurance / Quality Control Inspector
10. Electrical Engineer

We examined the likely recruiting difficulty for the hot jobs listed above and found Petroleum Engineers and Mechanical Engineers to be the hardest to fill in the US on average, scoring a 65 and 58 on our Hiring Scale, respectively. Our Hiring Scale evaluates supply, demand, location, unemployment rates, salaries, among other factors to determine a likely hiring difficulty. The Hiring Scale score ranges from 1 - 99, with 99 indicating hardest-to-fill. 

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

In an oil and gas hot spot, like Houston, conditions are also likely to be more difficult because of the competition for talent in this area. However, Recruiters may be able to relocate talent from within the state. Near Houston, Dallas has the second largest candidate supply of Petroleum Engineers and recruiting conditions are likely to be less challenging, scoring a 26. Recruiters may also encounter less difficulty sourcing Mechanical Engineers here, which scores a 40 in this city. 

In areas where the competition is fierce, some learning institutions are partnering with oil and gas companies and offering candidates shorter certification programs that quickly supply them with the skills needed in the industry. Additionally, other organizations in Texas are partnering to help close the skills gap in the oil and gas sector. The Greater Houston Partnership teamed up with JP Morgan Chase &. Co. to create the "Upskill Houston" campaign, which partners with schools, businesses, community colleges, social services, and others to address the talent shortage. 

In the Houston metro area, employers can work with schools in the state to build their candidate pipeline and engage students. In 2013, Texas A&M University (College Station) had the largest classes of students that completed their degrees in petroleum or mechanical engineering. A similar number of students are expected to enter the workforce this year. 

Graduate Supply in Petroleum and Mechanical Engineering in Texas

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

What else do you think the oil and gas community can do to build candidate pipelines?