There was more good news this week for umbrella contractors who work in the oil industry, especially those based in the North of England, as a large oil drilling project has been given the go-ahead. The work, which will take place between the villages of Walkington and Bishop Burton, will involve drilling one and a half miles into the Yorkshire countryside with a view to discovering a new fuel source.

The contract has been approved and awarded to Rathlin Energy, and because of the relatively short term nature of the project, it’s almost certain that non-permanent staff will be used – which will be welcome news for the region’s oil and gas contractors who work through umbrella companies. According to industry experts, it was essential to see whether there is any oil in the area, and the project will involve 24/7 working, so that as large area as possible can be searched. David Montagu-Smith, chairperson of Rathlin Energy UK, said in a recent BBC interview, “Exploration ventures like this are an absolutely necessary first stage to establish what is under the ground.”

Some £7.5bn was invested into the UK oil and gas industry in 2011, making it a growth industry and an ideal sector for British umbrella contractors to embrace. The new Rathlin project, along with a further £2bn of expected investment in oil discovery in the West of Shetland in 2012, umbrella contractors are very likely to find that there is a significant increase in the number of short term opportunities available.