The Top Spots to Start a Career in Oil & Gas

Outlining the Opportunities in Oil & Gas Across 6 Continents

Though the oil and gas industry is an international one with major players located across the globe; that does not mean you can walk into any town in any country and expect available positions for oil and gas roles. The industry is tied down by the availability of natural resources, and therefore only operates within specific geographic regions where the land is rich with natural resources and it is feasible to extract those resources.

 

North America 

There are many hot spots for oil and gas operations in North America within Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The largest sites and projects can be found in Canadian provinces and territories such as British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia. For those looking for opportunities in the US, states with oil and gas sites include Texas, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. In Mexico, oil and gas projects are available in Mexico City, Monterrey, Veracruz, Villahermosa, and Queretaro.

South America 

In South America, oil and gas jobs are readily available throughout Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. The majority of Peru’s oil resources are onshore, and a majority of Bolivia’s resources are natural gas. Something to keep in mind: many of the job openings in these areas require fluency in both English and Spanish.

Europe 

The European countries with the largest oil and natural gas reserves are Norway, Russia, and the United Kingdom. However, other countries with oil and gas operations include Denmark, Romania, Italy, Ukraine, Netherlands, Germany, Belarus, Spain, France, Poland, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Greece, and Slovakia.

Middle East 

Though the Middle East is not a continent, the region is known to be rich with oil and gas reserves. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates are among some of the largest oil producers in the entire world.

Asia 

Countries in Asia are not as well-known as oil and gas producers; however, many offshore operations do take place throughout the continent. Countries where oil reserves have been proven to exist are China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, and Taiwan.

Africa 

The oil and gas industry is booming in certain parts of the African continent. With a large land mass, oil reserves have been uncovered in several countries throughout the continent. These countries include Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, Ghana, Republic of Congo, Uganda, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

Australia 

Finally, the smallest of continents with only two countries — Australia and New Zealand — has booming oil and gas operations in both countries. As both countries are surrounded by ocean water, many projects are offshore and require team members to be trained in naval and marine skills as well as oil and gas skills.