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Aberdeen braced for unemployment hike as BP prepares mass job cuts

The oil and gas giant is shedding 6% of its global workforce – 4,700 jobs – with details of where the hammer blows will be felt yet to be unveiled.

The cost-saving drive has long been expected, but last week the scale of cuts at BP became clear. The company, which currently employs 90,000 people worldwide and 14,000 in the UK, will cut between 5 and 6% of its workforce. Around 3,000 contractors also face the cull.

Job losses are likely to hit UK operations, although it is currently understood the 6,000 people working in British petrol and service stations managed by BP will not be effected.

This raises the very real possibility of redundancies at the firm’s headquarters in Aberdeen, where economists are already predicting a decline in the jobs market as renewable energy transition begins to spread opportunities within the industry across the country. According to BP Chief Executive Murray Auchincloss, the job losses announced last week may be followed by further layoffs, although the majority of external contractors effected have already left the company.

‘I understand and recognise the uncertainty this brings for everyone whose job may be at risk, and also the effect it can have on colleagues and teams,’ Auchincloss told staff in an email seen by PA. ‘We have a range of support available, and please continue to show care for each other, be considerate, and keep putting safety first — especially during times of change.’

Earlier this month, Environment Journal reported on an analysis that showed Aberdeen – the UK’s energy, gas and oil capital – had lost 18,000 jobs in the last 15 years. While much of this has been due to clean energy projects diverting investment, the ‘boom-bust’ cycle of fossil fuel markets also has plenty to answer for.

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