2 min read
19 comments
Labor shortage threatens billion-dollar sector in Brazil: Find out why the oil industry is racing against time to train new professionals.
The oil industry in Brazil is facing a new challenge: the shortage of qualified labor. With the forecast of more than 400 thousand new jobs By 2030, the sector needs to act quickly to avoid a talent shortage.
Qualified professionals are an urgent demand in the sector
According to Roberto Ardenghy, president of the Brazilian Institute of Oil and Gas (IBP), the country needs to invest heavily in specialized professional training.
“Today we face the possibility of a labor shortage in the sector and we need to prepare now to train more than 400 people in the coming years,” said the executive.
- Pluspetrol debuts natural gas exports from Argentina to Brazil and plans new shipments
- Estimates indicate a deadline for the end of the world's oil reserves and show the advancement of energy alternatives
- Government plans to auction surplus oil to raise around R$28,5 billion and boost cash flow amid falling oil prices
- Oil price slump threatens repeat of Dilma-era crisis and puts pressure on Brazil for urgent reforms
During the opening of the Seminar The Power of Rio de Janeiro's Oil – An Energy Giant, Ardenghy highlighted the need for professionals with academic training, fluency in foreign languages and knowledge of artificial intelligence.
All of this is aligned with the energy transition agenda.
Training courses are available but still underutilized
The IBP already offers, through its Corporate University (UnIBP), more than 400 specialized professional training courses. However, the number of students enrolled has not yet kept up with the urgency of the demand.
With the evolution of technology and the increase in investments, the industry is undergoing transformation. And those who are prepared will have a better chance of taking advantage of the opportunities that will arise.
Rio de Janeiro leads oil production and job creation
The largest national producer, Rio de Janeiro accounted for 89% of oil production and 76% of gas production in the first months of 2025, according to data from ANP.
More than that: 53% of the economy of Rio de Janeiro depends directly on the sector, which already generates 550 thousand direct jobs in the state.
Furthermore, Rio is the largest national exporter of oil and gas.
“Look at the size of the sector for the national and state economy. Rio de Janeiro currently has more oil than Norway, Mexico and Angola. We are now the main exporter to the Chinese market,” Ardenghy highlighted.
Billion-dollar investments boost the oil industry
Governor Cláudio Castro reinforced the importance of the oil industry for the growth of the state and the country.
According to him, more than R$180 billion in investments are already planned until 2030, with R$120 billion from Petrobras alone until 2029.
“The oil and gas sector is of fundamental importance to our economy and also to the country’s economy,” said the governor.
I am retired and we have a group of former platform workers. Many say that young people with all the required courses are unable to find opportunities because they have no experience. It is a paradox, it is incoherent, and it is a fact, so much so that the same companies repeatedly advertise vacancies without experience and when they arrive at the interview site they discover that experience is required. This is frustrating, because people qualify, pay for courses that are not cheap, even if they are unemployed, and when they arrive there with such a “no experience” it is a hoax. In the past
I'm one of those, I'm 35 years old and I'm taking courses at the same time to see what happens. I'm taking distance learning courses: I graduated as a safety technician and need solid experience. This year, I'm graduating as a quality technician and a higher education in human resources management (I did this HR course to understand the recruiters' minds). In 2026, I'm graduating as an environmental technician and in 2027, a degree in administration. All distance learning courses. I already have good English, I'm still studying French, I already have intermediate Office software, I've taken several short courses that the market demands, such as Power Query, VBA, SQL, all basics, Office software and English. I also passed the Sisu exam for a public college in cartographic and surveying engineering. In the end, I've been unemployed for 1 year and 4 months. I can't even get through the internship selection process because I believe I have experience and they probably want people without experience to mold, much less effective work that I don't have experience in these areas. So I don't understand anything.
Hello. You are certainly a resilient person, but from everything you have described, training as an occupational safety technician would be effectively applicable to the oil and gas sector. However, although distance learning is an option available on the market, it still falls short of the qualification required by companies, especially in a sector whose service deals with risk situations on a daily basis.
Therefore, try to take technical courses in demanding areas (electrical, mechanical, supply, electronics, occupational safety) and do internships before completing them. I have been in the oil and gas sector for 21 years, working in the Campos Basin and in the city of Rio de Janeiro in a large company in the sector, and this difficulty in finding properly trained professionals has been latent.
The myth of the lack of MO, but the same companies only offer first jobs to those who are recommended. It's all a scam, the vacancies are only for those who are already in the market. The Oil and Gas area is like Politics, without IQ, you will be an eternal postgraduate pawn, if you go to distance learning college, they recommend in-person, if you go in-person, they require a technician to have "hands on" time, if you have a technician and college, then the excuse is that you have a lot of paperwork and little practice.
In the end, it's just a mafia.
Sorry, but it's a myth to have the courses you mentioned!
I am an electrical and electronics technician. I have been sending my resume to oil and gas companies for a year and a half, but none of them have called me. I went to a fair in Macaé to apply for a position as a power and control electrician to gain experience in the field, but the company did not call me because I had no experience in the oil and gas industry!
How can companies ask for experience if they don't give the opportunity to people who really want to enter the field?
And the detail is that in addition to the technical courses, I have all the courses for boarding.
It is interesting that Petrobras trains its employees in distance learning courses to avoid professionals having to travel to Petrobras University and incurring costs. Now they come to say that in order to join the company, in-person courses are required. How can this be explained?
I'm already thinking that this is part of this system, bureaucratic with bad intentions.
Just graduating in TEC in Industrial Mechanics, I'm looking for a job on board
I don't have any courses focused on this area, my courses and specializations are in Education and Tourism, and even so I can't find any opportunities due to lack of experience, I have a lot of experience in the administrative area, but it's not what I like to do. I've been feeling very frustrated with this. I think companies should offer this opportunity, which is the only thing we lack, because we have the skills!
I am an offshore crane operator and have been unemployed for five years because I am over 55 and no one wants to hire me. I have already sent my resume to several companies. Today, all my courses have expired and since I do not have the money to renew all these courses, I cannot return to the field. So I think this labor shortage must be just another fake news. It would be much cheaper for companies to renew my courses and put me back in the field than to wait for others who are yet to graduate to work. It really is a complex field that requires experience, but they could hire those who are graduating and give them some opportunity to do a period of adaptation and experience and not have news about labor shortages popping up all the time. It is also a lack of interest on the part of companies.
Good morning, Antonio and Samara, I agree with you. It even seems like they're the ones offering jobs if you're born with experience. I've also tried to get a job in this area. They don't give you a job because they say you're 57 and you have no experience. They just want young kids. And as unemployed people, we're going to take a course in this area. Companies should spend money on controlling us. That is, if this ad isn't news.