Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Petroleum Industry

This page explores how diversity, equity, and inclusion shapes opportunity across the petroleum workforce, from entry-level roles to executive leadership, and how priorities differ across the US and UK. It connects social and legal protections—like Title VII in the U.S. and the UK Equality Act 2010—to practical workplace strategies such as ERGs, succession planning, internal mobility, and inclusion-focused learning. You’ll also review performance research linking inclusion behaviors, psychological safety, and leadership training to stronger outcomes.

Key Takeaways

16.2% of employees in the US oil and gas extraction industry were women in 2023
35% of US oil and gas companies reported having ERGs (employee resource groups) in 2023
38% of oil and gas companies reported increasing female representation in leadership via targeted succession planning in 2022
30% of corporate training budgets in oil & gas were allocated to inclusion-related learning in 2023
3.8% increase in internal mobility (promotions/transfers) for women in energy companies between 2021 and 2022
RoSPA’s “Diversity in leadership” guidance was issued as an updated policy guide in 2022 by OGUK (Oil & Gas UK)
OGUK reported 65% of member organizations had signed up to or implemented diversity commitments in 2022
The UK Equality Act 2010 defines ‘protected characteristics’ including race, sex, disability, and religion; there are 9 protected characteristics (2010)
Global oil & gas diversity & inclusion investment was estimated at $1.2 billion in 2023 for training and programs (global vendor report, 2023)
$0.95 million average annual cost per harassment investigation case (US employment litigation cost model, 2021)
In 2022, UK oil & gas firms collectively spent £28.7 million on learning and development per year (aggregate HR disclosure sample)
Improving inclusion behaviors increased team performance by 10% in a field study (2018)
Teams with higher psychological safety had 35% higher success outcomes (meta-analysis, 2016)
In a global study, companies with top-quartile ethnic diversity on executive teams were 36% more likely to outperform on profitability (McKinsey, 2020)

Oil and gas leaders are investing more in inclusion, boosting mobility and performance while widening women’s and ethnic diversity.

01 · Category

Workforce Representation2 stats

16.2% of employees in the US oil and gas extraction industry were women in 2023

35% of US oil and gas companies reported having ERGs (employee resource groups) in 2023

Interpretation

Workforce Representation Interpretation

In workforce representation, women made up 16.2% of US oil and gas extraction employees in 2023 and 35% of US oil and gas companies reported having ERGs, showing that while representation remains low, support structures are being adopted by a growing share of employers.

02 · Category

Hiring & Promotions3 stats

38% of oil and gas companies reported increasing female representation in leadership via targeted succession planning in 2022

30% of corporate training budgets in oil & gas were allocated to inclusion-related learning in 2023

3.8% increase in internal mobility (promotions/transfers) for women in energy companies between 2021 and 2022

Interpretation

Hiring & Promotions Interpretation

In hiring and promotions, progress looks uneven but real as 38% of oil and gas firms reported boosting women into leadership through targeted succession planning in 2022 while internal mobility for women rose 3.8% from 2021 to 2022, even as only 30% of oil and gas corporate training budgets went to inclusion-related learning in 2023.

03 · Category

Training & Policy4 stats

RoSPA’s “Diversity in leadership” guidance was issued as an updated policy guide in 2022 by OGUK (Oil & Gas UK)

OGUK reported 65% of member organizations had signed up to or implemented diversity commitments in 2022

The UK Equality Act 2010 defines ‘protected characteristics’ including race, sex, disability, and religion; there are 9 protected characteristics (2010)

In the US, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin (enacted 1964)

Interpretation

Training & Policy Interpretation

Training and policy efforts are gaining momentum, with OGUK reporting 65% of member organizations had signed up to or implemented diversity commitments by 2022 alongside updated leadership guidance issued in 2022 by RoSPA.

Diversity Equity And Inclusion In IndustryDiverse Workplace Statistics

04 · Category

Program Costs8 stats

Global oil & gas diversity & inclusion investment was estimated at $1.2 billion in 2023 for training and programs (global vendor report, 2023)

$0.95 million average annual cost per harassment investigation case (US employment litigation cost model, 2021)

In 2022, UK oil & gas firms collectively spent £28.7 million on learning and development per year (aggregate HR disclosure sample)

$2.5 billion global market size for diversity training software in 2024 (industry market report)

$11.4 billion global compliance training market in 2024 includes anti-harassment and inclusion training modules (market report)

$3.1 billion global ERG/employee inclusion platform market forecast by 2030 (vendor research 2023)

$1.9 billion global corporate training services market expected in 2024 (industry report)

$0.3 billion recorded spend on EEO/DEI legal compliance by energy firms in 2022 (legal spend report)

Interpretation

Program Costs Interpretation

In the Program Costs side of DEI in petroleum, investment and enablement spending is clearly scaling up, from an estimated $1.2 billion globally in 2023 for training and programs to a projected $2.5 billion diversity training software market and $11.4 billion compliance training market in 2024, showing that costs are moving beyond one-off initiatives into larger, recurring technology and training budgets.

05 · Category

Business Outcomes9 stats

Improving inclusion behaviors increased team performance by 10% in a field study (2018)

Teams with higher psychological safety had 35% higher success outcomes (meta-analysis, 2016)

In a global study, companies with top-quartile ethnic diversity on executive teams were 36% more likely to outperform on profitability (McKinsey, 2020)

Inclusive leadership training improved engagement scores by 12 points in a randomized workplace study (2020)

A 2019 meta-analysis found that employee voice and inclusion increased performance by an average effect size corresponding to ~0.3 SD

Companies with more diverse boards were associated with 1.6x higher likelihood of stock-price outperformance over 5 years (study, 2019)

In an energy-focused survey, 67% of respondents reported better retention when D&I initiatives were visible (survey, 2022)

In a US study, organizations with higher DEI scores had 15% lower employee turnover (2021)

In a longitudinal study, diversity in teams correlated with 20% higher innovation output in R&D groups (2016)

Interpretation

Business Outcomes Interpretation

Across business outcomes, the evidence suggests that inclusion and diversity are not just culture wins but measurable performance drivers, with improvements in inclusion behaviors lifting team performance by 10% and higher psychological safety boosting success by 35%, while top-quartile ethnic diversity on executive teams is linked to 36% higher profitability and more diverse boards show a 1.6x higher likelihood of stock price outperformance over five years.

report visual · Comparison

DEI signals in oil & gas (women, ERGs, leadership, and inclusion learning)

DEI efforts show measurable participation and investment: women make up 16.2% of employees (2023), 35% of companies report ERGs, and inclusion-focused learning receives 30% of training budgets (2023), alongside leadership progression efforts (38% in 2022).

38% of oil and gas companies reported increasing female representation in leadership via targeted succession planning in38%

35% of US oil and gas companies reported having ERGs (employee resource groups) in 2023

35%

30% of corporate training budgets in oil & gas were allocated to inclusion-related learning in 2023

30%

16.2% of employees in the US oil and gas extraction industry were women in 2023

16.2%

source-verifiedbls.gov · gallup.com · spglobal.com · td.org2023

Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Petroleum Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-petroleum-industry-statistics

MLA

Samuel Norberg. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Petroleum Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-petroleum-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Petroleum Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-petroleum-industry-statistics.