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Personnel Collapse in Oil & Gas 2026: How Universities Become the Forge for Future Managers | Analytics

27 Jun, 2026
| Salome K

FROM PERSONNEL COLLAPSE TO NEW ARCHITECTURE: HOW OIL AND GAS UNIVERSITIES BECOME THE FORGE FOR FUTURE MANAGERS

Analytical review: systemic personnel crisis in oil and gas, the 2026 fuel collapse, and the reformatting of the training system for architects of the new reality

Disclaimer:
This material is an analytical study prepared by the editorial board of the journals “Kafedra” and SforNews as part of a series of investigations into the new economic reality. The material is based on open data, official statements, and hypothetical analysis. All conclusions areprobabilistic in nature.

Introduction: the system has cracked

June 2026. The fuel crisis in Russia has reached a systemic level. Restrictions on the sale of gasoline and diesel have been introduced in 61 regions out of 89 — almost two-thirds of the country. In the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — the region where 40% of all Russian oil is extracted — Gazpromneft gas stations are dispensing no more than 40 liters of gasoline and 80 liters of diesel fuel “per pair of hands” [1].

The government has imposed a complete ban on the export of gasoline and aviation kerosene and is considering the possibility of a complete ban on the export of diesel fuel. Rosneft head Igor Sechin has proposed temporarily suspending the stock exchange sales standards until refining capacities are fully restored [2].

The country’s main oil-producing region imposes fuel limits on its own residents. Absurd? No. Systemic failure.

But this failure is merely the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies a personnel collapse that makes recovery of the industry practically impossible without a radical restructuring of the entire specialist training system.

Part 1. Personnel collapse: 350 thousand vacancies and no prospects

1.1. Shocking figures

According to estimates by Pavel Zavalny, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy, the total personnel deficit in the oil and gas industry is estimated at 350 thousand specialists. At the same time, the structure of employee motivation is changing: in addition to decent pay, work-life balance, a favorable team climate, opportunities for self-realization and career growth are becoming increasingly important [3].

Over 782,000 people are employed in Russia’s oil and gas industry. The volume of unfilled personnel needs is 21,000 people, and turnover is comparable to that of the manufacturing industry at 22% [4].

Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Eduard Sheremetsev reported at the “Gas of Russia 2026” forum: by 2032, the oil and gas industry’s need for an influx of workers to replace and fill new jobs will be about 64 thousand people. Of these, 4.5 thousand are engineers of various specialties, 1.5 thousand are geologists, geophysicists, and surveyors, and 14.5 thousand are mid-level specialists [5].

The industry that feeds the country is itself starving — starving for personnel.

1.2. Demographic decline and aging personnel

The first and most fundamental factor is demographics. 73% of oil and gas industry workers are over 36 years old, 11% are over 55. The share of employees under 35 is only 27% [4]. In the next 5-7 years, the industry will face a mass retirement of experienced specialists.

The key challenge of the next five to seven years is eliminating the age imbalance. In oil and gas today, two processes intersect: on the one hand, the experienced generation is leaving; on the other, the influx of young specialists with modern competencies does not yet meet these needs [4].

1.3. Competition for personnel: defense industry and other sectors poach specialists

The oil and gas industry, traditionally considered attractive, is forced to compete for personnel with the manufacturing industry and the military-industrial complex (MIC) [4].

Rector of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas Viktor Martynov bluntly stated: “The oil and gas complex is losing its status as the best employer in this sense, because the military-industrial complex is in great demand for engineering personnel, mechanical engineering, aircraft manufacturing, and so on” [6].

1.4. Low motivation for engineering education

The rector of the Gubkin University sounds the alarm: “Unfortunately, there are few people who want to receive an engineering education. Young people’s motivation to master physics, mathematics, chemistry, and study hard at university is, unfortunately, not growing much. There is still a habit of an easy life — to be a blogger, an economist, a lawyer” [6].

He provides revealing statistics: Russia has 1.3 million oil and gas workers — just over one percent of the working-age population. For comparison, there are about 1.5 million couriers in the country, and over a million bloggers [7].

“Fashion is constantly changing, but there are ‘eternal’ specialties without which the economy cannot function. The oil and gas industry is one of those areas,” Martynov emphasizes [6].

Part 2. Fuel crisis as a consequence of systemic failure

2.1. What actually happened

The 2026 fuel crisis is not an accident. It is the natural result of several years of accumulated systemic problems [1]:

• Attacks on refineries. In the spring and summer of 2026, the refining industry faced unscheduled repairs. Ukrainian drones regularly strike Russian oil refineries, disabling key capacities.

• Imbalance of exports and the domestic market. Fuel exports continued even when the domestic market was already experiencing shortages.

• Exchange pricing. The exchange, lacking its own deep indicators, calculates the starting price of the day based on quotes from global agencies.

• The damper that doesn’t work. The mechanism is designed to smooth out peaks, but oil companies complain that the calculation formulas are far from reality [8].

2.2. Why old methods don’t work

Traditional measures — export bans, rescheduling repairs, connecting small plants — treat symptoms, not the cause.

The cause is deeper: the fuel and energy complex management system was built for a different world. For a world where refineries operate stably, export routes are predictable, sanctions do not block equipment and spare parts, and the personnel deficit does not reach 350 thousand people.

This world is over. And a new one has not yet been built. And for its construction, not just repair engineers are needed. Architects of the new reality are needed.

Part 3. From engineers to architects: a new personnel format

3.1. Engineers are the basic layer, but not the only one

Yes, the country needs engineers. But engineers alone cannot solve the problem. Restoration of refineries, modernization of the industry, and creation of a new management system require personnel of a completely different level.

3.2. Systems architects

Who will design the new structure of the fuel and energy complex? Who will understand how production capacities, logistics routes, financial flows, the regulatory environment, and geopolitical risks are interconnected?

A systems architect is a person who sees the whole picture. Who understands that solving the gasoline problem in Moscow may begin with the modernization of a refinery in Omsk and end with a revision of the tax regime for oil workers. They are not trained in universities. They are cultivated in projects — complex, interdisciplinary, requiring understanding of the entire chain.

3.3. Strategists

The 2026 fuel crisis is not the first and not the last “black swan.” A strategist in the fuel and energy complex is a person who knows how to build scenarios 10–20 years ahead, taking into account climate change, technological shifts, and geopolitical risks. Who understands that the world is changing faster than we manage to adapt.

3.4. Financiers of a new formation

Traditional financiers know how to count money in a stable system. But what to do when the system is collapsing? A new financier in the fuel and energy complex must be able to work with several currencies simultaneously (rubles, yuan, dirhams, gold), understand mechanisms of sanctions pressure and evasion, and build financial models taking into account volatility in oil prices and exchange rates.

3.5. Economists and lawyers

An economist in the new system is a person who understands how the dual-circuit economy is structured, why domestic fuel prices should not be tied to global ones, how “gas for rubles” works, and why this model can be scaled. A lawyer is a specialist who understands international law and its limitations, knows how to work in conditions of legal uncertainty, and knows how to protect assets under sanctions and freezes.

Part 4. Solutions: how oil and gas universities become the forge of managers

The education system has already caught this signal. Programs are emerging that break traditional specialization and prepare not just engineers, but architects of the new reality.

4.1. SFU + GSOM SPbU: engineer + manager in one package

Starting September 1, 2026, a joint master’s program “Management of Oil and Gas Field Development” will launch — a collaborative project between the Institute of Oil and Gas of Siberian Federal University and the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg State University [9].

Graduates will receive two diplomas: in “Oil and Gas Engineering” from SFU and in “Management” from SPbU [9].

Director of the Institute of Oil and Gas at SFU Konstantin Dvorkin called it “a unique program that will combine several roles of the oil and gas industry in one educational track — from drillers to economists” [9].

Head of the program development working group Mikhail Matveev added: “A distinctive feature of these managers will be good technological training in their professional field and high managerial skills for effective management of complex oil and gas projects” [9].

This is a model that can and should be replicated. An engineer who understands economics and management is not a “universalist.” He is an architect capable of making decisions at the intersection of technology, finance, and strategy.

4.2. Gubkin University: management programs for the fuel and energy complex

The Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas has long gone beyond purely engineering training. The Center for Innovative Competencies (CIC) implements professional retraining and MBA programs lasting over 250 hours [10]. The programs are practice-oriented, involve individual and group work, and include active learning methods (workshops, trainings, case studies, business games, etc.) [10].

As part of cooperation with Rosneft, two specialized master’s programs are implemented — “Internal Audit and Control” and “Supply System Management at Oil and Gas Companies,” as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program “Fundamentals of International Oil and Gas Business,” including with the involvement of foreign educational organizations [11].

At the Faculty of International Energy Business, master’s programs in management are implemented: “Management of Projects, Finance and Personnel in Organizations of the Fuel and Energy Complex” and “Innovative Technologies in the Management of Production Relations and Human Capital of an Oil and Gas Company” [12].

With the support of Rosneft, a professional retraining program “Supply System Management in the Oil and Gas Industry” has been launched. The goal is to train highly qualified specialists who have mastered modern methods of analyzing international energy markets, strategic planning, and practical trading [11].

4.3. “Gazprom University”: from a corporate institute to a system-forming center

In March 2026, the “Gazprom Corporate Institute” was renamed to “Gazprom University.” This is not just a name change. As explained by the company, it is “a qualitative transformation and expansion of the institution’s role as a system-forming element of the corporate educational environment” [13].

Now it is a “strategic competence center integrated into a unified system of continuous corporate professional education.” The university provides a comprehensive approach to personnel training at all stages of the professional path — from adaptation of young specialists to development of senior management [13].

The university’s activities are aimed at the advanced development of professional knowledge and skills — a critically important factor for ensuring technological sovereignty [13].

4.4. International cooperation: Rosneft + USPTU + Tsinghua University

During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Rosneft concluded a trilateral agreement on the development of cooperation in personnel training with Tsinghua University (China) and the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (USPTU) [14].

Training programs cover areas such as digitalization, artificial intelligence and new technologies in the oil and gas industry, management of scientific, technical and innovation activities, production localization, and climate projects [14].

4.5. Unified personnel system of the fuel and energy complex: coordination of state, business, and education

On March 19, 2026, the conference “Unified Personnel System of the Fuel and Energy Complex: Coordination of State, Business and Education” was held. Participants discussed how to build a system in which the state, business, and universities act in coordination, and companies do not have to “pull” specialists from each other [15].

Within the framework of the “Gas of Russia 2026” forum, a decision was made to create a unified platform for coordinating specialist training. It is planned that industry associations will become intermediaries between companies and educational institutions. The new platform should establish a direct dialogue between universities and colleges with employers: adjust educational programs to the real needs of the industry, develop the internship system, coordinate approaches to forecasting personnel needs, and eliminate imbalances in the labor market [5].

Oil and gas universities are the natural core of this system. They already exist. They have material resources, teaching staff, and connections with the industry. All that remains is to add a management component — and get a ready-made architect of the new reality.

Part 5. MBA and EMBA Programs at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas

The International Business School of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas trains managers of the oil and gas industry through 7 MBA, Executive MBA, DBA, and MPA programs [16]. The key programs are presented below.

5.1. MBA Programs

• MBA “Energy / Oil and Gas Industry” — a 1.5-year program in modular format [17].

• MBA “Oil and Gas Business Management” — a specialized program in the field of oil and gas business [11].

• MBA “Oil and Gas Trading” — a program focused on trading in the oil and gas sector [11].

• MBA “Fundamentals of International Oil and Gas Business” (supported by Rosneft) — a program implemented with the involvement of foreign educational organizations [11].

• MBA “Management of Energy Business Transformation” — a program for top managers of the energy complex that provides a systemic view of the oil and gas complex in all aspects: from the influence of environmental factors and market volatility to trends in the development of global companies and oil and gas corporations [16]. Cost: 950,000 rubles [16].

5.2. Executive MBA (EMBA) Programs

EMBA programs are focused on training top managers and senior executives.

• Executive MBA “Energy Leadership” — a corporate program developed at the request of the client company [18].

o Duration: 1 year (modular format) [18].

o Cost: 1,100,000 rubles [18].

o Goal: development of leadership qualities and formation of a group of leaders for effective management of the company’s strategic development [18].

o Target audience: senior executives of oil and gas corporations, middle managers in the personnel reserve, and promising specialists [18].

o Candidate requirements: higher education, at least 2 years of management experience, total work experience of at least 5 years [18].

• Executive MBA “Oil and Gas Business Management. Modern Manager” — a corporate program open at the request of client companies [19].

o Duration: 1 year (modular format) [19].

o The curriculum includes modules: Geopolitics and Energy Markets; Strategic Business Management; Risk Assessment and Decision Making; Investment and Project Management; Financial Management, Exchanges and Markets; Human Capital Management; Innovation Management; Operational Efficiency and Change Management; Cooperation, Partnership, and Negotiation [19].

o Learning outcome: in-depth understanding of current features and development prospects of the industry, ability to adapt the company’s sustainable development tasks to changes in the external environment [19].

Part 6. Why oil and gas universities should become the forge of managers

6.1. They have a unique foundation

No general economics or management university provides an understanding of the technological essence of the fuel and energy complex. And without this understanding, a manager in oil and gas is a manager who does not understand what he is managing.

Oil and gas universities are the only ones that can provide immersion in the substance: geology, drilling, refining, transportation. And at the same time — management competencies.

6.2. They are already the core of the fuel and energy complex personnel system

6.3. Competition for personnel requires a new approach

As noted by the rector of the Gubkin University Viktor Martynov, the oil and gas complex is losing its status as the best employer because engineering personnel are in high demand in the military-industrial complex, mechanical engineering, and aircraft manufacturing [6].

To regain attractiveness, oil and gas must offer not just a salary, but a career trajectory. And the best career trajectory is the opportunity to grow from an engineer into a manager, from a specialist into an architect of the system.

This is exactly what oil and gas universities can provide if they restructure their programs.

Part 7. What needs to be done right now: six steps to a new system

1. Replicate the “dual degree” model (engineering university + business school) in all key oil and gas regions. The example of SFU and GSOM SPbU should become a system [9].

2. Include interdisciplinary courses in curricula — economics, law, geopolitics, systems analysis, strategic planning.

3. Create retraining programs for current engineers who want to grow into managers [11].

4. Integrate universities into the unified personnel system of the fuel and energy complex, where the state, business, and education act in coordination [15].

5. Use “Gazprom University” as a model — a system-forming center that provides training at all stages: from young specialist to senior management [13].

6. Restore the prestige of the engineering profession through energy classes in schools, career guidance, real internships, and demonstration of career prospects.

Conclusion: time to gather stones

The 2026 fuel crisis showed: the old system no longer works. Refineries built in Soviet times cannot withstand modern challenges. Personnel trained to old standards cannot cope with new tasks.

But a crisis is also an opportunity. An opportunity to reassemble the system. To create a new architecture of the fuel and energy complex, where energy becomes the basis of everything. Where personnel are not just “performers,” but architects of the new reality.

Oil and gas universities can and should become the forge of these architects. Not by competing with business schools, but by complementing them. Not by losing their engineering foundation, but by building management competencies on top of it.

Key conclusion: The personnel crisis in oil and gas is not a “problem of HR departments.” It is a systemic challenge that threatens the country’s energy security and technological sovereignty. And the answer to this challenge lies in reforming the education system, in creating a new generation of managers who understand not only oil, but also the world in which this oil is extracted, refined, and sold.

Time to gather stones. And we need to start right now — from September 2026, when the first “engineer + manager” program launches in Krasnoyarsk [9].

Invitation to collaborative research

The editorial board of the journals “Kafedra” and SforNews continues to research issues of systemic crises, personnel sovereignty, and the architecture of the future. We invite experts, analysts, industry representatives, and all interested readers to join the discussion.

LIST OF SOURCES

[1] RFI. Gasoline limits expand, Sevastopol left without power (June 24, 2026). www.rfi.fr

[2] M24.ru. Head of Rosneft proposed measures to normalize Russia’s fuel market (June 24, 2026). www.m24.ru

[3] Oil and Gas Industry. Personnel shortage in the oil and gas industry: who will fill the industry’s need in 2026 (February 17, 2026). nprom.online

[4] Vedomosti. TNF Forum presented results of labor market research in oil and gas (September 17, 2025). www.vedomosti.ru

[5] Kommersant. Oil and gas industry will need 64 thousand specialists by 2032 (February 27, 2026). www.kommersant.ru

[6] Rossa-Primavera. Rector of Gubkin University: young people do not want to master the engineering profession (April 30, 2026). rossaprimavera.ru

[7] Fontanka. “There are about 1.5 million couriers in the country, and over a million bloggers”: Rector of Gubkin University on choosing a profession (June 24, 2026). www.fontanka.ru

[8] Great Russian Encyclopedia. Damper mechanism in the oil industry (2026). bigenc.ru

[9] SFU. GSOM SPbU and INiG SFU launch master’s program “Management of Oil and Gas Field Development” (March 24, 2026). www.sfu.ru

[10] Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU). Center for Innovative Competencies (2026). cik.gubkin.ru

[11] Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU). Higher School of Corporate Management (2026). vshku.gubkin.ru

[12] Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU). Faculty of International Energy Business (2026). fmeb.gubkin.ru

[13] Gazprom University. “Gazprom Corporate Institute” renamed to “Gazprom University” (March 16, 2026). institute.gazprom.ru

[14] Lenta.ru. Rosneft signed agreement on personnel training with universities of Russia and China (June 5, 2026). lenta.ru

[15] ANGI. Conference “Unified Personnel System of the Fuel and Energy Complex: Coordination of State, Business and Education” (March 19, 2026). angi.ru

[16] Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU). International Business School (2026). mba.gubkin.ru

[17] MBA Association. MBA “Energy / Oil and Gas Industry” at Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (2026). www.mba.su

[18] Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU). Executive MBA “Energy Leadership” (2026). mba.gubkin.ru

[19] Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU). Executive MBA “Oil and Gas Business Management. Modern Manager” (2026). mba.gubkin.ru

The material was prepared by the editorial board of the journals “Kafedra” and SforNews based on open sources and hypothetical analysis. When citing, reference to the original source ismandatory.