Job postings by SLB uncovered by Global Witness and reviewed by the Chronicle show the company has recently sought to hire more than 200 workers. It is not clear whether those were for new positions, said Matt Hale, vice president of supply chain research for the research firm Rystad Energy, who cautioned that the openings may represent replacements for people who have quit or retired.
The bulk of Baker Hughes’ financial blow stemmed from sanctions that prohibited it from deploying LNG equipment, Hale said. Halliburton had worked primarily with oil majors who pulled out of their Russian projects, said James West, an oilfield services analyst for Evercore ISI. Even if SLB were to withdraw its services in Russia, the skill level and equipment needs are simple enough that Russian employees on the ground could handle it with little impact on production, Hale said.