Suriname is approaching a major turning point in the development of its offshore oil and gas industry. Following the Final Investment Decision for the GranMorgu project in Block 58, the country’s first offshore oil development is moving towards production, with first oil scheduled for 2028. According to Staatsolie, GranMorgu is expected to have a production capacity of approximately 220,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The scale of this development could have significant implications for Suriname offshore jobs. Staatsolie estimates that demand for labour from local companies associated with the Block 58 development could range between 2,000 and 4,700 jobs over the lifetime of the project. These opportunities are expected to extend beyond direct offshore positions, as development of a large offshore project requires support from contractors, technical specialists, logistics providers and other companies throughout the supply chain.

However, creating jobs and having enough qualified people to fill them are two different challenges.

Suriname’s own labour market policy has already identified a disconnect between available education and training and the skills required by industry. The ILO’s Suriname Mid-term Labour Market Policy 2022–2025 specifically warned that shortages of local higher-education graduates could result in employment opportunities in high-growth sectors, including offshore oil and gas, being filled by skilled foreign workers.

This creates an important question as Suriname moves towards first oil: where will the industry find the skilled workforce it needs?

The answer is unlikely to come from a single source. Developing the workforce required for a new offshore industry will involve training local workers, aligning vocational education with industry requirements, developing practical experience and, where local skills are not yet available, attracting qualified international personnel.

Recent initiatives show that this process is already underway. In June 2026, the Surinamese government, TotalEnergies and Staatsolie signed an agreement supporting the SURICAP capacity-building programme, aimed at strengthening vocational education and preparing young people for employment in growth sectors including energy, oil and gas.

The years leading to first oil will therefore be about more than simply filling vacancies. They will be about building a workforce capable of supporting an offshore industry that Suriname has never previously operated at this scale.

GranMorgu Will Create a New Scale of Workforce Demand

The GranMorgu development represents a major change in the scale of Suriname’s offshore industry. The Final Investment Decision was announced in 2024, and first oil is scheduled for 2028. Once operational, the project is expected to have the capacity to produce approximately 220,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

But the employment impact of such a development begins well before the first barrel of oil is produced.

Offshore projects require people throughout development, construction, installation, commissioning and eventually long-term operations. This creates workforce demand not only offshore, but also across the companies providing technical, logistical and operational support to the project.

Staatsolie estimates that the total demand for labour from local companies associated with the Block 58 development could range between 2,000 and 4,700 jobs over the project’s lifespan. It also notes that employment opportunities are expected during both the preparation and production phases.

For Suriname, this creates considerable employment potential. At the same time, it raises a practical challenge: many positions connected to offshore oil and gas require specialised technical skills, industry experience and recognised qualifications.

This challenge is not unique to Suriname. The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Employment 2025 report highlights skilled labour shortages as an increasingly important issue across the global energy sector. Based on responses from more than 700 energy companies, trade unions and education providers, the IEA examines how shortages of skilled workers can affect the expansion of energy infrastructure and increase pressure on education and training systems.

The challenge for Suriname, however, is particularly significant because a large offshore industry is being developed while the domestic skills base is still adapting to its requirements.

The country’s labour market policy has already identified gaps between vocational and higher education and the needs of industry. It also specifically highlights the risk that shortages of locally available skills in the offshore oil and gas sector could lead to highly skilled positions being filled by foreign workers.

The coming years will therefore create two parallel workforce needs: developing a larger pool of qualified Surinamese workers for the long term, while ensuring that experienced personnel are available when specialised skills cannot yet be sourced locally.

Suriname’s Offshore Skills Gap

The growth of Suriname offshore jobs does not automatically mean that the local labour market will be able to supply workers with the qualifications and experience required by the industry. One of the central challenges facing Suriname is the existing gap between the skills provided by the education system and those demanded by employers.

The Suriname Mid-term Labour Market Policy 2022–2025 identifies a fundamental disconnect between technical and vocational education and the needs of industry. According to the report, poor coordination between educational institutions, government and employers has contributed to outdated training and a shortage of job-ready candidates. In some areas, training for skills required by industry was reported to be limited or entirely absent.

Limited Supply of Highly Educated Workers

The size of Suriname’s highly educated workforce presents another challenge. The ILO report states that only around 2% of the country’s working-age population had completed tertiary education, based on the data referenced in the policy document. Access is also geographically uneven, with tertiary education concentrated primarily in the urban coastal area.

This matters for offshore oil and gas because many positions require specialised technical knowledge and industry-specific competencies that cannot be developed immediately.

The same labour market policy directly identifies this risk. It notes that the shortage of local higher-education graduates is a concern for the Surinamese government because employment opportunities in high-growth sectors such as offshore oil and gas could attract highly skilled foreign workers when positions cannot be filled locally.

Training Does Not Always Match Industry Demand

Suriname already has vocational education, internships and work-based learning programmes. The challenge is ensuring that these programmes develop the competencies employers actually require.

According to the ILO, there has been insufficient coordination between vocational education and industry needs. The report recommends closer dialogue with employers, a transition towards competency-based training aligned with recognised industry standards and greater use of work-based learning.

This becomes particularly relevant as the offshore sector expands. Classroom education alone cannot provide all the practical experience required for complex industrial environments. Partnerships between employers, training institutions and government can help workers gain practical exposure through apprenticeships, internships and other forms of workplace training.

Suriname Is Already Responding

There are signs that the country’s workforce development strategy is beginning to move in this direction.

In June 2026, the Surinamese government, TotalEnergies and Staatsolie signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Suriname Capacity Building Program (SURICAP). The programme is intended to strengthen technical and vocational education, reduce school dropout and better prepare students for employment in growth industries, including energy, oil and gas.

Suriname is also implementing the Labor Market Alignment with New Industries project with support from the Inter-American Development Bank. The initiative focuses on providing job seekers with skills that better correspond to the needs of productive sectors while improving labour market information and connections between employers and job seekers.

These initiatives can strengthen the domestic talent pipeline, but building an experienced offshore workforce takes time. As activity increases towards first oil, Suriname is therefore likely to face a transition period in which local workforce development and access to experienced international personnel will need to progress in parallel.

Which Offshore Jobs Will Be in Demand?

As Suriname’s offshore industry develops, workforce demand will extend across a wide range of occupations. However, the available Surinamese sources do not yet provide a detailed forecast showing exactly how many workers will be required for each offshore occupation.

A useful indication can be found in neighbouring Guyana, where rapid offshore oil development has already created significant demand for specialised workers.

An International Labour Organization study examining occupational and skills needs in Guyana’s oil and gas sector identified engineers, occupational health and safety specialists, and ship deck crews among the most in-demand occupational profiles. Employers also reported shortages in technical capabilities including rigging, welding, compliance with health and safety standards, and knowledge of nautical systems.

The study estimated that Guyana’s oil and gas industry would require around 5,000 workers between 2022 and 2026. These figures should not be treated as a forecast for Suriname, but Guyana provides a relevant regional example of the workforce pressures that can emerge when a relatively small labour market experiences rapid offshore development.

Technical and Maritime Skills Will Be Important

For Suriname, the precise occupational mix will depend on the different phases of GranMorgu and other future offshore developments. Nevertheless, the regional evidence suggests that demand is unlikely to be limited to highly educated engineers and managers.

Offshore development also depends on skilled technical and maritime personnel capable of supporting vessel operations, maintenance, construction, logistics and safe offshore activities.

This is particularly relevant because Suriname’s existing labour market policy identifies weaknesses in the alignment between vocational training and industry demand. The policy calls for greater cooperation with employers and more competency-based training linked to recognised industry standards.

Experience May Become as Important as Qualifications

Formal education and technical certificates are only part of the workforce challenge. Offshore operations also require people who can apply their skills safely and effectively in real working environments.

Suriname’s labour market policy specifically highlights the importance of work-based learning and closer partnerships between educational institutions and employers. Internships, apprenticeships and other practical training can help workers develop competencies that are difficult to acquire exclusively in classrooms.

Staatsolie itself provides an example of this approach. In 2025, four members of its Offshore Directorate were seconded to TotalEnergies for at least one year, while another five secondments were planned for 2026. Staatsolie describes these placements as part of its strategy to deepen technical expertise in offshore operations.

This illustrates a wider challenge for the emerging Suriname offshore jobs market: increasing the number of trained workers is important, but building a workforce with practical offshore experience takes considerably longer.

As activity accelerates towards first oil, experienced international personnel may therefore play an important role alongside Surinamese workers. Over time, training, secondments and practical knowledge transfer can help a larger share of specialised positions transition towards the local workforce.

How Suriname Is Preparing Its Workforce for the Oil Boom

The workforce challenge facing Suriname has already been recognised by government, industry and international development organisations. As offshore development progresses towards first oil, several initiatives are being introduced to improve technical education, connect training more closely with employer needs and strengthen the country’s labour market infrastructure.

These measures will not eliminate the skills gap immediately, but they show that workforce development is becoming part of Suriname’s preparation for a larger energy industry.

Strengthening Technical and Vocational Training

One of the most recent initiatives is the Suriname Capacity Building Program (SURICAP).

In June 2026, a Memorandum of Understanding supporting the programme was signed by representatives of the Surinamese government, TotalEnergies EP Suriname and Staatsolie during the Suriname Energy, Oil & Gas Summit & Exhibition.

According to the Government of Suriname, SURICAP is intended to improve the quality of vocational education, reduce school dropout and better prepare students for future employment. The government specifically identifies growing sectors including energy, oil and gas as areas where stronger skills development can help Surinamese young people access emerging opportunities.

The cooperation between government, educational institutions and industry is particularly significant because this is exactly the type of coordination previously identified as missing from the country’s training system.

Improving the Connection Between Employers and Workers

In 2026, the Surinamese government also launched a procurement process for a national online job portal under the Labor Market Alignment with New Industries project. The planned system is intended to allow employers to publish vacancies, enable job seekers to search and apply for positions and provide the Ministry with information about employment intermediation.

This addresses another weakness previously identified in Suriname’s labour market system. The ILO found that official employment services had relatively limited reach and that employers frequently relied on social media, private labour exchanges and recruitment intermediaries to meet their staffing requirements.

Industry Is Also Building Expertise Directly

Workforce development is not limited to government programmes.

Staatsolie is developing offshore expertise through practical training, specialised programmes and international secondments. Its 2025 Annual Report states that four Offshore Directorate employees were seconded to TotalEnergies for at least one year, with plans for five additional employees to undertake two-year secondments with another international oil company in 2026.

Across the company more broadly, Staatsolie reported that 878 employees completed occupational safety, emergency response and other specialised training certifications in 2025.

These initiatives illustrate an important part of workforce development that formal education alone cannot provide: exposure to experienced organisations, real projects and operational practices.

Crewing Companies Can Help Bridge the Workforce Gap

For companies entering or expanding operations in Suriname, building recruitment networks for every required occupation and geographic market can take considerable time. A crewing partner with access to established international candidate networks can help employers reach experienced maritime and offshore professionals while local recruitment and training pipelines continue to develop.

The role can extend beyond finding candidates. Depending on the scope of the assignment, crew management may involve qualification and document verification, employment administration, medical requirements, travel arrangements, mobilisation, rotations and ongoing workforce coordination.

This becomes increasingly valuable when personnel need to be sourced from several countries and mobilised according to project schedules.

Conclusion

Suriname’s offshore oil industry is entering a decisive period. With GranMorgu moving towards first oil in 2028, demand for qualified personnel is expected to grow, creating new opportunities for Suriname offshore jobs.

However, meeting this demand will require more than creating employment opportunities. Developing a skilled local workforce, strengthening technical education and providing practical offshore experience will be essential for the industry’s long-term success.

While these efforts progress, international recruitment can help bridge immediate skills gaps and ensure offshore operators have access to experienced personnel. For companies preparing to operate in Suriname, early workforce planning and a balanced approach to local and international recruitment will be key to building reliable, sustainable operations.