Oxbow 鈥� Oxbow-based service rig company Mayco Well Servicing is experiencing the same trend most of their compatriots are 鈥� they could use a few more hands, but not necessarily at all times.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly it. There鈥檚 stretches where we鈥檙e running short four to five guys, and then you鈥檒l go two or three weeks where you have too many guys around,鈥� said Nick Mayer, one of the partners in the outfit. And that can be something of a conundrum.
鈥淚 find it hard to hire guys, because I can鈥檛 say with conviction I can keep them busy over a period of time. There鈥檚 not a lot of local help around, so we鈥檙e often bringing guys from Nova Scotia. It鈥檚 hard to bring a guy in, with the circumstances.
鈥淭he rain had played a role, but it鈥檚 the uncertainty. There鈥檚 just not a lot going on where companies are picking up a rig for a period of time, and then they鈥檙e letting a rig go. It鈥檚 hard to bring a guy in from across the country to work for three weeks, then you鈥檙e carrying them for a period of time to fill that void.
鈥淲e鈥檙e running six rigs right now. We were up to seven at one time,鈥� he said. Their fleet is made up of seven rigs. He added it鈥檚 actually closer to five-and-a-half rigs working.
As other service rig companies have noted, there鈥檚 a limit to how many green hands you can bring on before you start diluting your skill pool. Mayer said, 鈥淭ypically, we try not to have more than one green guy on a rig. With five rigs running, you don鈥檛 want to bring any more than that in, at once, that鈥檚 for sure.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of comfort after six months. I wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 experienced after that point, but you can start to feel comfortable after six months, for sure.鈥�
鈥淲hen it slowed down in 2014, we had an abundance of guys when we decided to concede and park a rig. As time has gone on, probably over the last three years, it鈥檚 been a bit more of a battle.鈥�
Mayer was the first to specifically mention bringing in people from Eastern Canada, but it鈥檚 actually been longstanding practice for them. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing it for probably 15 years,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ova Scotia has probably been the best for us, some Newfoundland fellows.
鈥淭ypically, you鈥檒l get a guy or two from out there and they help recruit guys for you. It鈥檚 typically word of mouth,鈥� he said. They use job websites as well.
They鈥檝e helped people move to Saskatchewan, to a degree, but 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough right now,鈥� he said.
Mayer would say the Saskatchewan labour pool is pretty much tapped out.
鈥淚n the last two years, of all the guys we鈥檝e hired鈥� I would say we鈥檙e only about half have been from Saskatchewan.鈥�
Their staff includes 30 rig hands and four in the office. Most live between Alameda, Oxbow and Carnduff. Their operating area is from Stoughton to Pierson, Manitoba
As needed, Mayer, his business partner Todd Cooley, and their field supervisor fill in on occasion as needed. 鈥淔or our situation, at Mayco, it鈥檚 the uncertainty to hire guys.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e running as few guys as we can and we鈥檙e trying to pick up that slack, ourselves, until we can reach that level of comfort to bring people in.鈥�
