A shortage of oil and gas workers in Venezuela is holding up investment and frustrating Washington’s plans to tame soaring fuel prices. Decades of mismanagement and corruption have hollowed out Venezuela’s oil industry, while a government crackdown and an economic crisis led to a mass exodus.
Spurred by the Trump administration, Big Oil has again set its sights on the country, which holds the world’s largest stated oil reserves, but a talent shortfall — around 5,000 Venezuelan oil and gas workers are believed to be in the US alone — is proving a bottleneck, with many wary of returning, fearing a resurgence in authoritarianism. “There are no guarantees for a family that has been abroad for 15 years,” an expatriate said.
— Jeronimo Gonzalez
