Global Flows of Oil & Gas Engineers: How Tool Expertise Shapes Mobility
From 25,000+ CVs, we mapped where tool-specific expertise originates and where it’s hired. The picture is clear: technology choices shape talent markets—Petrel, Eclipse, Aspen HYSYS, Landmark, CMG, and WellCat each pull different geographies into motion.
25,000+
Profiles Analyzed
6
Tools Tracked (incl. Aspen HYSYS)
~35%
Multi-Tool Professionals*
32
Countries Represented
*Share of tool users listing more than one major platform (indicative)
Tools aren’t just software—they are capability systems. Petrel/Eclipse influence subsurface teams; Aspen HYSYS signals process and facilities depth; Landmark/WellCat point to drilling and well integrity. Understanding where these skills are built—and where they’re hired—helps leaders plan capacity, reduce ramp time, and de-risk projects.
Executive takeaway: Your project portfolio should guide your talent sourcing geography—and vice versa. Match tool strategy to the regions that actually produce the engineers you need.
Flows of Tool Expertise Across Borders
Exporting regions supply distinct specialisms: India and Pakistan feed Petrel and Landmark; Nigeria shows strength in Well Services; the United States supplies senior Petrel/Eclipse and Aspen HYSYS; Egypt contributes petroleum and process talent. UAE and Saudi Arabia remain the strongest importers, with Qatar, Kuwait, and the UK as notable hubs.
Exporting countries → Tool expertise → Importing markets. Line thickness reflects share of flows. Use this to align sourcing geographies with project tool stacks.
Key insights from the chart:
UAE/Saudi are the primary import hubs for Petrel and Aspen HYSYS expertise; they set the pace for regional capability building.
India and Pakistan dominate Petrel/Landmark supply, while the United States provides senior Aspen HYSYS and Eclipse specialists.
Nigeria’s export strength skews to well services (WellCat/Landmark), with Qatar and UK as frequent destinations.
Multi-tool profiles travel best; they compress time-to-productivity and reduce project risk on import.
Where Tool Experts Work Today
Service companies (SLB, Halliburton, Baker Hughes) remain the training grounds for tool fluency; NOCs/IOCs (ADNOC, Halliburton, Shell, Chevron, bp) are persistent magnets for mid-career and senior hires. If your company appears small in the employer word cloud below, it’s a signal to strengthen hiring, upskilling, or retention around critical tools. We can share more detailed insights upon request.
Current employers of tool experts. Size corresponds to prevalence in our dataset. Leaders invest consistently in building and retaining multi-tool teams.
Questions This Data Can Answer
Which countries supply Aspen HYSYS talent?Where Petrel/Eclipse experts are hiredService → NOC/IOC feeder patternsMulti-tool prevalence by regionTime-to-productivity by tool stackWhich roles to hire where
Actionable Signals for Leaders
Match tools to sourcing geographies: Don’t fight the market—hire Petrel depth from proven exporters; tap US/Europe for senior Aspen HYSYS and advanced subsurface.
Prioritize multi-tool fluency: Cross-platform engineers compress training cycles and de-risk schedule.
Use service companies as feeders: SLB/Halliburton/Baker Hughes remain reliable pipelines into NOCs/IOCs—plan conversion and retention accordingly.
Close capability gaps explicitly: If your employer footprint is “small” for a critical tool, address it with targeted hiring and internal upskilling.
Signals for Engineers
Tool choice = mobility: Petrel and Aspen HYSYS travel well; Eclipse is legacy but valuable in mature assets.
Go multi-tool: Pair Petrel with Landmark/CMG or Aspen HYSYS with pipelines and process packages to widen options.
Target destinations with demand: UAE and Saudi lead for subsurface and process; UK remains attractive for certain specialisms.
byteSpark.ai tracks tool adoption and talent flows across thousands of profiles. If your projects depend on specific platforms, we’ll build you a shortlist aligned to tool depth, region, and readiness.
