by Judith Willson

Created on: August 03, 2010

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has cost huge numbers of people their livelihoods.  However, while there might not exactly be a silver lining, there is a small positive in terms of employment.   There are now a good number of employment opportunities, both dealing with the clean-up operations directly and in associated service industries.  These are almost all short-term jobs but might be enough to tide people over for a few months.

Manufacturing equipment 

Companies producing clean-up equipment are hiring extra staff.  Supervisors and factory workers are needed, and in a hurry.  These companies are having to deal with large numbers of unexpected orders and do not yet have the staff to cope with them.  Most of these positions will probably only be for a short period but there is always the possibility of them being extended.

The clean-up

Contaminated sands on Gulf coast beaches needs to be removed and/or cleaned.  Some of this is being done manually and some with the aid of diggers.  Large numbers of workers are required for both.  Since oil is toxic you will need to complete hazardous material training first, and you will probably have to pay for it yourself at a cost of a few hundred dollars.  However this is a useful thing to have on your resume even after the clean-up is over and may well be worth the investment.  Some of the tainted sand is also being cleaned, and here there are a few more specialised positions open.

Service industries

With large numbers of workers and journalists arriving in the Gulf states, there is also a need for more staff in hotels, restaurants, laundries, and entertainment facilities.  Again, these will probably be fairly short term jobs, with the chance of being employed on a more permanent basis if you are especially adept at your job.

Research and development 

With it becoming blindingly obvious that the research, testing and technological developments necessary to make deepwater drilling safe simply hadn’t been done, there are now efforts taking place within the oil industry to address this.  Scientists and engineers in a number of fields are now being recruited.  Professional positions are likely to be filled on a longer term basis.

In general when searching for a job in any of these areas you need to be aware of exactly what the requirements of a job are before paying for any training.  You should also check contracts and conditions of employment carefully to make sure the job is actually providing what you think it will.

Unfortunately there are also a number of scams that have sprung up, offering non-existent clean-up jobs in return for personal details or money.  Be on the alert and check everything out very carefully before providing personal information or paying for anything. 

While it might seem depressing to take a job that only exists because of a tragedy, you might actually find it satisfying to be involved in the clean-up operations rather than standing by doing nothing.  In any event there are jobs available, and in a recession people need them.  Don’t feel uncomfortable about taking such a job if you are one of these people.

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