Workforce Supply
In a highly competitive environment, ensuring an adequate workforce
supply is an ongoing concern at Syncrude. Our strategy is to ensure
we attract and retain the best and brightest while also growing
the pool of available talent.
Attraction and Retention
Syncrude believes strongly in developing
the talent pool within its Canadian sphere
of influence. In fact, 99.5 per cent of our
new hires in 2005 were Canadian residents.
Syncrude was successful in attracting
557 new permanent and 450 new casual
employees in 2005, about 70 per cent
of who were hired locally. Surveys of
new employees indicate our recruitment
success can be attributed to four main
factors: our reputation in the oil sands
industry; opportunity for career
advancement; employees’ desire to be
part of a successful oil sands operation;
and our comprehensive compensation
and benefits program. Of note, Syncrude
has filled over 800 new positions in the
last five years, and recruited a further
1,300 individuals in the same time frame
to address retirements and other attrition.
The opinions of newly hired
employees concur with the findings
of national public opinion research
commissioned by Syncrude in 2005.
It found that Syncrude is well regarded
as an employer, with 75 per cent
favourable responses on such attributes
as compensation and benefits, safety,
career advancement, employment
security and corporate leadership.
Syncrude’s workforce gains in 2005
were partially offset by workforce attrition
of 372 people, an increase of 60 per cent
over 2004. About one-third of attrition
was due to retirements, while half was
employee initiated. To better understand
the causes for employee-initiated
attrition, Syncrude conducts employee
exit surveys.
Syncrude will continue to refine
attraction and retention strategies in
support of our overall workforce
strategies. This will include holding a
series of employee focus groups in
2006 to ensure Syncrude consistently
delivers on its commitment to be the
workplace of choice in the oil sands
industry. Syncrude also reviews annually
its compensation and benefits to ensure
they are competitively positioned.
Labour Pool Initiatives 
Syncrude takes a three-stage approach
to addressing its workforce needs.
It begins by raising awareness of career
opportunities in the oil sands through
programs such as Take our Kids to Work
Day and trades development initiatives.
This is followed by support for initiatives
that develop the available pool of skilled
labour, through college, technical
and university based programs. This
then provides the foundation for
comprehensive recruitment plans to
address our specific labour requirements
on an ongoing basis.
To address a shortage of available
workforce skills caused by a robust local
and provincial economy and changing
workforce demographics, Syncrude
is continuing work that has been
underway for more than a decade to
build workforce capacity. We focus
on collaborative partnerships with
educational institutions, businesses,
industry associations and governments.
We are currently involved in many
different development programs,
including:
- Co-op/Discipline programs with over 60 universities and colleges across Canada;
- Trades development initiatives such as the Registered Apprenticeship Program, Community Co-op Apprenticeship Program, Alberta Aboriginal Apprenticeship Program and CARERS: The Next Generation;
- Operator training programs at Keyano College and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies;
- General summer student programs and the CareerPrep initiative.
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