Female workforce participation in the Australian oil and gas industry—a global comparison

Abstract

As the Australian oil and gas industry faces a continued shortage of skilled employees, increasing the representation of women in this industry is a business imperative. Economic success and competitive advantage may depend on attracting and retaining the skills of women. Research shows that a gender-diverse workforce can also be linked to improved business performance, innovation and corporate governance. While women make up 46% of the Australian workforce and more than 50% of university graduates, present statistics show that on average 13% of workers in the Australian oil and gas industry are women. This is a lower proportion than comparable industries in Canada and Norway: women make up 21% and 19% of workers, respectively. In Norwegian oil companies, this level is as high as 30% (4). This extended abstract briefly discusses the present research about women's retention and progression within the Australian resource sector. It outlines the initiatives being undertaken by government, industry bodies and organisations to increase the representation of women in the Australian sector, and comparable industries in Norway and Canada. This extended abstract concludes with a case study about the challenges and lessons learnt in establishing a corporate initiative to increase female participation at Clough Limited. Women@Clough is a professional forum established in April 2011 to improve the attraction, retention and progression of women in the Clough workforce. Strategies and key success factors in the establishment of the program are also examined.