Change Recruitment Group's survey shows 19% of Oil & Gas professionals feel their career has either stood still or gone backwards.
The company's survey extended back over the past two years, and a further fifth of Oil and Gas workers ( 20%) felt their career had progressed but not as quickly as they would have liked, whilst a third (33%) said their career is on track.
Two fifths (42 %) of respondents think their career would have progressed further had the UK not seen a recession.
Frustrations are starting to show as three quarters ( 75%) confess to job hunting, with almost half (44%) of those looking for a move, doing so in order to take a step up.
Laura Drysdale, Change Recruitment’s international managing director said: “There is no denying that the working environment in the UK has been tough over the last few years, with some sectors suffering more than others. The Oil and Gas sector has remain fairly resilient but a number of organisations have seen restructuring and even downsizing, meaning that there are potentially fewer hierarchical positions.
She added: “Career development is an essential tool in retaining staff and ultimately creating a working environment where people want to stay. Investment in training and development goes a long way to creating a culture where staff feel they are developing and working towards an end goal."