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Tara Weber As energy prices climb, the oil patch is getting back to work. The Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC) says rig activity is already higher than it previously anticipated for the first quarter of this year. The increase in activity is bringing with it another issue: concerns over finding sufficient skilled workers. “I’ve talked to a handful of contractors in the past couple of days and they’ve said without question, they could have more rigs out in the field – both on the service rig side and drilling rig side – if they had access to adequate labour,” said Mark Scholz, president and CEO of the CAODC, in an interview. In November, the organization forecast 136 rigs would be active in the first quarter of this year. It now says it sees that number at about 188 for the first two months of the year — and staffing is becoming an issue. “We’re starting to see some backlogs get created,” said Scholz. “Customers are actually on the third or fourth drilling-contractor call inquiring about rigs to get out in the field and a lot of companies are in the exact same situation. It’s just a, ‘You’re […]
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