Who hires
| Type of employer | Examples | What they hire for |
|---|---|---|
| National oil companies | Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, QatarEnergy, Kuwait Oil Company, PDO (Oman), Bapco Energies (Bahrain) | Experienced engineers, operators and specialists — often with strong local hiring rules |
| Engineering contractors (EPC) | L&T, McDermott, Technip Energies, Wood, Petrofac, Saipem | Construction, commissioning and maintenance crews; engineers, supervisors, QA/QC |
| Oilfield service companies | SLB, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, KBR | Field operators, technicians and engineers for drilling and well services |
| Manpower and shutdown agencies | Licensed Indian recruiting agencies | Large crews for shutdowns and maintenance contracts — welders, fitters, riggers, scaffolders, helpers |
Company names are examples of the kinds of employers active in the region, not an endorsement or a list of current vacancies.
Trades in demand
Types of work: project, shutdown, rotation
- Project jobs — building or expanding plants; usually two-year contracts.
- Shutdown (turnaround) jobs — short, intense maintenance of a running plant, often one to three months, with long hours and overtime. Many agencies recruit big shutdown crews several times a year.
- Maintenance contracts — longer-term jobs keeping plants running.
- Rotational jobs — common offshore and in remote sites, such as 28 days on and 28 days off.
Certificates that matter
- Safety: NEBOSH IGC, IOSH, OSHA, H2S awareness, confined space, working at height.
- Welding and inspection: welder qualification tests (e.g. 6G), CSWIP 3.1, ASNT Level II, API inspector certificates.
- Lifting: rigger and crane operator certificates; third-party lifting certificates are often required.
- Client approvals: some roles need approval by the end client — for example Saudi Aramco approval for QA/QC inspectors. Previous approvals are worth putting at the top of your CV.
How to apply
- Prepare a trade-specific CV showing plants, clients and equipment — see the Gulf CV format guide.
- Watch two kinds of sources: licensed agencies' shutdown and project adverts, and companies' own careers sites.
- Apply quickly. Shutdown recruitment moves fast — many agencies close CV collection within days.
- Check the agency licence before paying anything — here is how.
BhejoCV collects oil & gas adverts from licensed agencies and reads vacancies straight from companies' own careers sites, such as Wood, McDermott, Technip, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, KBR and QatarEnergy — re-checked every night so closed jobs disappear.
Questions people ask
Which Gulf country has the most oil and gas jobs for Indians?
Saudi Arabia has the largest oil and gas industry in the region and hires very large numbers of Indian workers, followed by the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. The best country for you depends on your trade and the projects running at the time.
What is a shutdown job?
A shutdown or turnaround is a planned maintenance period when a plant stops running. Contractors hire large crews for a short time — often one to three months — with long working hours.
Do I need NEBOSH for oil and gas jobs in the Gulf?
Not for every job, but safety certificates such as NEBOSH IGC or IOSH are often required for HSE roles and are a strong advantage for supervisors and foremen.
Can freshers get oil and gas jobs in the Gulf?
It is harder, because most roles ask for experience. Helpers and trainee positions exist, and ITI or diploma holders often start with shutdown work to build Gulf experience.