We have already noticed some trends in chemical industry employment in 2016 that we anticipate will continue through the year. First of all, there are job openings and many companies are ready to hire despite the negative financial news. Why is there still hiring? Plant expansions are already underway and will be completed. Business acquisitions will require new staff adjustments, often an adjustment in the form of hiring, as they are integrated into the parent company’s operating philosophy.
The best trend that we see that is starting to take more shape is the selectivity in hiring. Our clients are being very selective and are seeking engineers with specific product knowledge or specific technology that is an exact match to their business. They are willing to hire but they want a value added match to their needs and not a “generic good engineer†hire.
The key to landing a job in this market is two-fold: (1) Stay in your area of expertise and knowledge and, (2) Find a company that needs your background. Also, if you are in oil and gas, you may need to be willing to take a dramatic pay cut of 20- 40% to find a transferable job in the chemical or refining sector.