From The Oil Fields To The Dev Stack: Canada’s Energy Workers Are Making The Leap

In the last two years, an oversupplied global oil market and a demand shock from the COVID-19 pandemic hit an industry already in transition.

The Keystone XL pipeline project was halted, a global price war erupted, sustainability concerns came into heightened focus and major names such as Cenovus, Husky Energy, Suncor and Imperial Oil all announced job cuts in Canada.

So, how have workers in the energy and mining industry responded? In the latest edition of LinkedIn’s Workforce Report for Canada, new data reveals where this workforce is finding new opportunities.

Among the top five industries energy and mining workers have been moving to since 2019 is Software & IT Services.

But why tech?

In part, that’s been facilitated by the rise of “micro-credentials:” shorter, focused programs that provide specific skills training and certificates. The expansive growth and accessibility of these programs mean more people can pick up the necessary skills to move into tech roles in their spare time, instead of returning for a full university degree in computer science.

One of those programs is the EDGE UP program at Calgary Economic Development, which focuses on professionals displaced from the oil and gas sector, training them for in-demand IT jobs in areas such as data science, software development and cybersecurity.

The full workforce report findings can be found here.