A resurgent oil and gas industry is driving an “extremely competitive” recruitment market while jobs in the renewable and digital sectors grow but at a slower pace.
This is according to Gary Gray who has taken the managing director role at Aberdeen-based energy recruitment specialist Strategic Resources.
The appointment follows Shonah Raffan’s decision to retire after more than three decades with the business, including the past 27 years as managing director.
Formerly recruitment and operations director, Mr Gray joined Strategic Resources in 2005 before being promoted to director in 2014.
Mr Gray said he was “thrilled” with his new position and is looking forward to capitilising on new opportunities for the business with the current market being described as “buoyant”.
Strategic Resources recorded turnover of £19million in 2021 and, following an encouraging start to this year, anticipates increased revenue as the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic.
The firm is backed by CorpAcq, a “buy and build” investment firm based in Altrincham, near Manchester.
Mr Gray said: “We are finding the local recruitment market to be buoyant and extremely competitive for certain skillsets.
“What we are seeing locally is engineering, digital, including IT, and finance being the the main areas with a considerable number of vacancies coming through.
“There’s a host of reasons as to why that is but mainly because of the pandemic a lot of companies cut back in numbers and they then had to increase because of the upturn in oil and gas.
“Contractor numbers have grown back steadily as the impact of the pandemic subsided, and there has also been increased focus from clients on staff opportunities.
“We expect to see these themes persist throughout 2022, added to opportunities to develop our own business in the renewables and digital sectors in light of the transition to net zero and adoption of new ways of working.
“The renewables sector is something we really want to be involved with.
“We are members of Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (Areg) and want to develop our client portfolio to have steady growth across renewables.
“Job opportunities are coming through at a reasonable pace but not the same level as oil and gas.
“But I expect that to change.”
The company, based in North Silver Street, currently employs 10 people.
It is also looking to create a new role focused on its contractor management services to meet demand.
Commenting on Mr Gray’s appointment, Ms Raffan said: “Gary is highly respected within the recruitment industry and has been working very closely with both contractors and clients for many years.
“He has a great team behind him, and I am confident that, under Gary’s leadership, they will continue to provide a personal and professional service to candidates, contractors and clients, and that Strategic Resources will continue to flourish.”
In a statement CorpAcq paid tribute to Ms Raffan, citing her “fantastic job over many years” in establishing the business as a leading provider of personnel, contractor management, executive search, and outsourced payroll services for the oil and gas industry.
