Market Update to Aug. 31/10 Red Deer
Price Range	All Active	Pending	Active 1 Year Ago	Sold MTD Aug. 26/10	Sold MTD Aug. 31/10	Sold MTD Aug. 31/09
< 100	26	0	24	1	1	3
100 – 150	40	2	27	2	2	3
150 – 200	78	8	63	5	7	20
200 – 250	104	3	98	9	13	31
250 – 300	147	5	75	23	26	37
300 – 325	66	2	47	8	13	23
325 – 350	75	5	31	3	4	11
350 – 375	37	2	33	6	7	8
375 – 400	57	2	42	4	5	11
400 – 450	46	0	42	7	8	7
450 – 500	32	0	22	4	4	1
500+	77	2	65	4	4	7
Total	785	31	569	76	94	162
Avg. Price	$328,616.		$327,521.	$324,414.	$316,845.	$288,931.
Days On Market	57		49	51	49	46

Oilpatch hiring again – By Harley Richards – Red Deer Advocate – Published: August 27, 2010 6:43 AM

A year ago, the prospects were pretty bleak for oilpatch workers with a resume in their hand.  No more.   Drilling and service companies are beating the bushes for skilled and even unskilled people as their industry recovers from the economic downturn.   Bonnie Snair, human resources manager at Red Deer’s High Arctic Energy Services, said her company has hired 74 workers over the past two and a half months.  “I anticipate that we’ll be hiring another 50 before the end of the year,” she said.  One of the most popular places for oilpatch companies to seek staff has been the newspaper classifieds. And after a period of absence, corporate logos have returned to that section of the Advocate, said Richard Smalley, the newspaper’s retail advertising manager.

 

“You’ve just got to open up a paper and you’ll see all the oil and gas ads that are running in there.”   Year-over-year, said Smalley, the Advocate’s classified display linage — which consist primarily of employment ads, particularly for the oilpatch — is up 43 per cent.  “That’s a huge jump.”  Charles Strachey, a regional communications manager with Alberta Employment and Immigration, has also observed an increase in job postings at his department’s Labour Market Information Centre in Red Deer.   “There’s been a significant jump in the number of oilfield jobs,” he said, adding that construction has also seen renewed hiring.

 

“Basically, there was almost zero jobs for the oilpatch on the job board last summer.”  As might be expected, this increase in the male-dominated sectors has impacted the ratio of job-seekers visiting the local Labour Market Information Centre.   Six months ago, 75 to 80 per cent were men, said Strachey; now the male-female split is about 50-50.  He added that his department is also now getting more requests for the specialized training typically required for oilpatch jobs.

 

Shane Goacher, operations manager with Bravo Oilfield Safety Services Inc. (B.O.S.S.), said the Grande Prairie-based company’s ads have generated quantity but not quality.  “A lot of people are available but nobody has the experience.”   When the oil and gas sector plummeted, he said, many skilled workers disappeared.  “Some of them ended up going to school, some of them ended up getting (other) jobs.”

 

Nancy Malone, economic analysis manager with the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, said senior staff on drilling rigs tend to ride out the slow periods.  “They understand the industry, they understand the ups and downs and they work appropriately.”

 

Roger Soucy, president of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, said the labour crunch is likely hitting some companies harder than others. Those active in horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing — increasingly popular methods for pursuing oil and gas — are probably busier than other firms.

 

He and Malone agreed that the situation is not as dire as it was during the boom period several years ago. But if rig activity is high this winter, manpower could become a concern.  “We lost so many people who generally don’t come back to the industry once they’ve left it,” said Soucy.

 

The companies vying for people are already turning to new strategies.  High Arctic has been promoting a snubbing boot camp to entice prospective employees to give the industry a try. Snair said it’s helped her company hire many of its new people.  B.O.S.S. offers employees a travel voucher that they can use for a vacation after working for a period of time. Goacher said such enticements have become commonplace in the industry.

 

Both businesses are tapping into new search methods — High Arctic has turned to Facebook and B.O.S.S. to Kijiji — in their efforts to connect with young prospects.  “I think people just have to get really creative and step out of the box,” said Snair.

Tags: Red Deer real estate market update