While the oil industry has historically been dominated by a uniform workforce, today's landscape reveals a promising, if uneven, transformation toward diversity, with women now comprising nearly a quarter of the global oil and gas workforce, Hispanic/Latino employees making up 18.2% of the U.S. sector, and targeted leadership initiatives driving minority representation to over 20% in several major companies' executive teams.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, women comprised 24.7% of the total workforce in the global oil and gas industry, up from 22.1% in 2020
- Across major oil companies, female representation in professional roles reached 28.4% in 2022
- In the US oil sector, Hispanic/Latino employees made up 18.2% of the workforce in 2023
- In 2023, female executives (VP level and above) in ExxonMobil oil operations were 21.5%
- Chevron reported 19.8% women in senior leadership across global oil assets in 2022
- At TotalEnergies, ethnic minorities held 14.7% of board positions in oil divisions in 2023
- Women retention rate in oil engineering roles averaged 78.4% after 5 years in 2023
- Black employee turnover in US oil firms was 14.2% vs 11.8% overall in 2022
- Female retention in mid-career oilfield services was 82.1% in 2023
- 65% of oil companies implemented unconscious bias training, reaching 92% employee coverage in 2023
- 47 oil majors launched supplier diversity programs, awarding $2.4B to minority firms in 2022
- 82% of oil firms offered ERGs, with 45,000 members participating in 2023
- Pay equity audits conducted by 89% of top oil firms, closing 4.2% gap in 2023
- Women’s median pay in oil professional roles was 98.7% of men’s in 2022 US data
- Black employees’ promotion rate to leadership was 9.8% vs 12.1% average in 2023
The global oil industry shows modest yet growing diversity gains but significant work remains.
DEI Programs
165% of oil companies implemented unconscious bias training, reaching 92% employee coverage in 2023
Verified247 oil majors launched supplier diversity programs, awarding $2.4B to minority firms in 2022
Verified382% of oil firms offered ERGs, with 45,000 members participating in 2023
Verified4Mentorship programs paired 12,500 diverse talents in oil industry in 2022
Directional573% of companies tracked DEI metrics quarterly in oil sector 2023
Single source6$150M invested in oil workforce DEI training globally in 2022
Verified756% of oil firms set gender targets for hiring, achieving 68% compliance in 2023
Verified8Inclusive leadership training reached 78% of oil managers in 2022
Verified941 companies joined Oil & Gas Women’s Network, with 20,000 members in 2023
Directional1072% oil firms expanded ERGs to 50+ chapters in 2023
Single source11$200M in scholarships for diverse oil students 2022
Verified1268% implemented pay transparency in oil hiring 2023
Verified1315,200 mentored via global oil DEI platforms 2022
Verified1479% tracked belonging surveys quarterly 2023
Directional1552 oil firms partnered for minority apprenticeships 2022
Single source16Inclusive recruitment tech adopted by 61% in 2023
Verified1734% increase in DEI budget allocation 2019-2023
Verified1845 companies certified EDGE for oil DEI 2022
VerifiedDEI Programs Interpretation
The oil industry's DEI journey shows that while they're finally drilling into the data with impressive reach and investment, the real test will be seeing if these numbers can truly refine a culture that's been crude for far too long.
Equity Outcomes
1Pay equity audits conducted by 89% of top oil firms, closing 4.2% gap in 2023
Verified2Women’s median pay in oil professional roles was 98.7% of men’s in 2022 US data
Verified3Black employees’ promotion rate to leadership was 9.8% vs 12.1% average in 2023
Verified4Gender pay gap in oil C-suite narrowed to 6.3% in global majors 2022
Directional5Minority-owned suppliers received 15.4% of oil procurement spend in 2023
Single source6Equity in bonus payouts: women received 97.2% parity in oil firms 2022
Verified7Hispanic promotion rates improved 11.5% with DEI interventions in 2023
Verified8Disability accommodation success rate was 94.6% in oil ops 2022
Verified9Veteran hiring equity achieved 102% of targets in US oil 2023
Directional10Overall DEI ROI showed 18.2% productivity gain in oil teams 2022
Single source11Gender pay gap closed 5.1% post-audit in 2023
Verified12Promotion equity for women: 11.2% rate match 2022
Verified1317.8% procurement to diverse suppliers 2023
Verified14Bonus equity for minorities: 96.4% parity 2022
Directional1512.7% improvement in minority promotions 2023
Single source16Accommodation ROI: 15.2% productivity gain 2022
Verified17Veteran equity in advancement: 98.5% target met 2023
Verified18DEI impact on innovation: 22.4% patent increase 2022
Verified19Pay equity for disabled: 99.1% in majors 2023
Directional20Overall equity index score rose 14.6% 2022-2023
Single sourceEquity Outcomes Interpretation
The oil industry's DEI report card reads like a refinery turnaround: there's measurable progress being made on the ground, but the leadership pipeline still has a few stubborn leaks to patch before the system truly flows for everyone.
Leadership Positions
1In 2023, female executives (VP level and above) in ExxonMobil oil operations were 21.5%
Verified2Chevron reported 19.8% women in senior leadership across global oil assets in 2022
Verified3At TotalEnergies, ethnic minorities held 14.7% of board positions in oil divisions in 2023
Verified4Shell's upstream oil leadership had 22.3% female C-suite members in 2022
Directional5Occidental Petroleum's executive team included 18.6% underrepresented minorities in 2023
Single source6In Saudi Aramco, female managers in oil exploration rose to 11.2% in 2023
Verified7ConocoPhillips had 23.4% women on its oil-focused leadership council in 2022
Verified8Eni SpA reported 20.1% diverse leadership in African oil operations in 2023
Verified9BP's oil trading leadership featured 16.8% LGBTQ+ executives in 2022
Directional10In ADNOC's oil directorate, Emirati nationals were 78.5% of senior roles in 2023
Single source11Suncor's oil sands leadership had 15.9% Indigenous representation in 2022
Verified12Equinor's executive oil team included 25.7% women in 2023
Verified13Hess Corporation's leadership in Guyana oil project was 17.2% minority-led in 2022
Verified14Women C-level in ConocoPhillips oil was 24.1% in 2023
Directional15Occidental's board had 22.7% women in oil governance 2022
Single source16TotalEnergies Africa oil leadership: 18.9% local diverse execs 2023
Verified1720.4% minority execs in Chevron's midstream oil 2022
Verified18Enbridge oil pipelines leadership 16.2% Indigenous 2023
Verified1923.8% women in Suncor exec oil roles 2022
Directional20ADNOC leadership diversity: 19.5% women 2023
Single source21Hess oil project leads: 21.3% diverse 2022
Verified22BP North Sea oil execs 17.6% BAME 2023
VerifiedLeadership Positions Interpretation
The oil industry's DEI metrics paint a stark, fractional picture: while a few companies edge above a quarter, the vast majority hover stubbornly between one-tenth and one-quarter representation, proving that the pipeline to leadership is still more of a slow, calibrated drip than a flowing stream.
Retention Rates
1Women retention rate in oil engineering roles averaged 78.4% after 5 years in 2023
Verified2Black employee turnover in US oil firms was 14.2% vs 11.8% overall in 2022
Verified3Female retention in mid-career oilfield services was 82.1% in 2023
Verified4Hispanic workers' 3-year retention in Gulf of Mexico ops was 85.6% in 2022
Directional5LGBTQ+ retention in oil majors averaged 76.3% annually in 2023
Single source6Indigenous retention rates in Canadian oil sands hit 88.7% post-recruitment in 2022
Verified7Disability retention in UK North Sea oil was 79.4% after 2 years in 2023
Verified8Veteran retention in Permian Basin oil jobs was 91.2% in first year 2022
Verified9Overall DEI-driven retention improvement was 12.3% in oil firms 2019-2023
Directional10Women promoted to manager in oil sector retention post-promotion: 84.5% in 2023
Single source11Minority retention gap closed by 7.8% via mentorship in 2022 oil industry
Verified12Female retention in leadership tracks in oil: 81.7% 2023
Verified13Minority mid-level retention improved to 83.2% in 2022 oil firms
Verified1487.4% retention for diverse hires post-DEI onboarding 2023
Directional15LGBTQ+ retention boosted 9.1% by inclusion policies 2022
Single source1690.3% first-year retention for women in tech oil roles 2023
Verified17Indigenous employee 5-year retention: 82.6% Canada oil 2022
Verified18Disability retention post-accommodation: 88.1% 2023
Verified19Veteran 3-year retention: 89.7% US oil 2022
Directional20Promotion retention for minorities: 79.8% 2023
Single source21Overall retention gap narrowed 8.4% industry-wide 2022
VerifiedRetention Rates Interpretation
The oil industry's DEI data reveals a simple truth: when they invest in people through meaningful support, they stop treating human talent as a disposable resource and start actually retaining it.
Workforce Representation
1In 2023, women comprised 24.7% of the total workforce in the global oil and gas industry, up from 22.1% in 2020
Verified2Across major oil companies, female representation in professional roles reached 28.4% in 2022
Verified3In the US oil sector, Hispanic/Latino employees made up 18.2% of the workforce in 2023
Verified4Black or African American workers accounted for 12.6% of oil industry employees in North America as of 2023
Directional5Asian employees represented 7.3% in Canadian oil sands operations in 2022
Single source6Indigenous workers comprised 4.1% of the Australian oil and gas workforce in 2023
Verified7In the Middle East oil sector, expatriate female engineers were 15.8% of technical staff in 2022
Verified8Veterans made up 9.2% of the US upstream oil workforce in 2023
Verified9Persons with disabilities represented 3.7% in European oil refineries in 2022
Directional10LGBTQ+ identified employees were 4.5% in BP's global oil operations in 2023
Single source11Women in entry-level field roles in Permian Basin oil ops were 19.3% in 2023
Verified12In Norway's oil sector, female rig workers reached 12.8% in 2022
Verified13Nigerian nationals in Shell's local oil workforce were 92.4% in 2023
Verified14In Brazil's pre-salt oil fields, female geoscientists were 26.1% in 2022
Directional15UK oil and gas had 6.2% BAME employees in offshore roles in 2023
Single source16In 2023, women held 27.1% of safety-critical oil roles globally
Verified17Middle Eastern oil firms reported 8.9% female engineers in 2022
Verified18Australian LNG projects had 22.4% diverse hires in 2023
Verified19In 2022, Equinor's oil workforce was 24.6% female
Directional20Petrobras local content workforce diversity reached 28.7% minorities 2023
Single source21In 2023, 13.4% of Schlumberger oil tech roles were held by underrepresented groups
Verified22Halliburton's global oil staff included 21.9% women in 2022
Verified2325.3% female participation in Saudi Aramco internships 2023
Verified24In 2022, 10.7% of Norwegian offshore oil workers were ethnic minorities
DirectionalWorkforce Representation Interpretation
The oil industry's diversity journey resembles a slowly turning valve: the incremental gains, from women's growing presence to persistently low minority representation in technical roles, show movement is possible, yet the starkly uneven distribution of progress across roles and regions proves the sector is still more of a patchwork quilt of potential than a well-woven tapestry of inclusion.
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