Almost 43% of people working in the oil and gas sector consider leaving the energy sector altogether in the next five years.

That’s according to a new survey by recruitment firm Brunel and oilandgasjobsearch.com which shows that oil and gas workers are less confident in finding new employment in the energy industry than those in other sectors.

That compares to nearly 89% of employees in the renewables sector that feel confident they can find another job within the industry.

The Energy Outlook report which accompanies the survey finds that nearly 82% of recruiters said that one in ten of their open positions have been unfilled for more than three months, with drilling, well delivery and geoscience being the most difficult roles to fill.

The research also demonstrates that nearly 10% of employers in the oil and gas sector have had to pay retirees to come back to take unfilled job openings due to skills shortages.