Recession impacting turnover in oil & gas

Even with recent employment cuts, the mining sector continues to hire, according to a recent analysis from the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development.

“For the sector as a whole, which is a combination of oil and gas employers and other mining activity, 2,594 workers exited in the fourth quarter of 2015 and only 960 entered,” state Research Analyst Mali Abrahamson wrote in an essay on job turnover in the October issue of Trends. “Even in the midst of large-scale layoffs, a certain number of workers were still being added to those employers’ payrolls. This highlights the fact that turnover is a constant regardless of whether an economy is expanding or contracting, though the flows can change significantly under different economic conditions.”

By quantifying job turnover, Abrahamson was attempting to provide a new tool for gauging the state of employment in various industries and regions across the state.

The mining sector appears to have relatively low turnover compared to other industries, although it is susceptible to seasonal hiring patterns based around winter activities.

- ERIC LIDJI