HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES IN RIG CONSTRUCTION IN VIETNAM

Abstract

Oil and gas industry in Vietnam is a key economic sector which has contributed greatly to the development of the country. The oil and gas industry, in its development process, has developed many other important sectors where rig construction is one those. However being a relatively young sector, Vietnam rig construction do face a prominent issue which is the lack of qualified manpower. This qualified manpower lies mainly in two domains: skilled technical workers and qualified middle-level supervisors and managers. This research conducts a case study of PetroVietnam Shipyard and interviews with relevant personnel. PetroVietnam Shipyard will be used as the sole case-study to represent the human resource need of the whole industry. On one hand, the shortage of human resource at the technical workers level is found to be mainly contributed by wrong macro-policies and inadequate supply of jobs. On the other hand, the shortage of human resource at the middle management level are attributed mainly to a limitation from top-management, a gap between qualification and actual market requirement and a lack of exposure and experience with the international standard. The solution to the shortage of human resource in rig construction in Vietnam is a composite effort from the government, policy makers, business owners and workers themselves. In order to overcome the negative synergy which creates the shortage, all parties must play their part in tackling every component leading to that deficiency. This research can be deepened and broadened by reaching out to more key personnel as well as more firms within and outside the rig construction sector. This research lays an important first step for future studies in this under-researched area. It is crucial in solving problems at the early stage to ensure the rig construction industry is propelled to greater heights.