Charlie Hill
Lead Consultant
Protective coatings and corrosion workforce - podcast
Charlie Hill
Lead ConsultantThe Protective Coatings and Cathodic Protection industries are experiencing a major workforce shift, the rise of hybrid roles. Since the pandemic, more employees are being asked to perform multiple functions across coatings, CP, QA/QC, trades, and field leadership. It’s changing how companies hire, train, and retain talent.
In this "Coatings Talk NOONER" clip, Charlie Hill, Lead Recruiter for Midstream Oil & Gas at Pangea, breaks down what he’s seeing in the field and why hybrid skill sets are becoming the new standard across asset protection.
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Key topics covered/FAQs
What’s the current state of the protective coatings & corrosion workforce?
The headline is this: demand for talent is high across the industry, skill gaps are widening, and roles are evolving fast, especially toward more hybrid, multi-skill profiles.
What is Pangea seeing across the industry right now?
Three big themes:
- Hiring demand is strong at every level.
- The aging workforce is accelerating shortages (especially in technical field roles).
- New “hybrid” roles are emerging—people who can combine hands-on coatings expertise with inspection knowledge and comfort with digital tools and data.
What are the biggest hiring trends?
A few clear shifts are happening:
- Great news for strong workers: there’s a huge need for talent in the industry at every level.
- Less emphasis on “15–20 years doing X, Y, Z”: hiring is moving more toward adaptability, ability to learn, and transferable skills/knowledge.
- Office roles increasingly want field experience: employers value people who understand what’s happening on-site, not just on paper.
- Field roles now require stronger communication + data interpretation: teams want technicians who can speak to customers confidently as an on-site technical SME and make sense of inspection/project data.
How serious is the skill shortage - and what’s driving it?
The skill shortage is significant, and the aging workforce is a major driver.
- A large portion of senior technicians, inspectors, and applicators are retiring.
- New entrants aren’t coming into the market fast enough to replace them.
- This isn’t a one-company problem, it’s an industry-wide issue that needs a coordinated response.
What’s happening with the aging workforce challenge?
The core issue is speed and volume: experienced people are exiting faster than the next generation is entering and getting developed to the same level, particularly in senior field and quality/inspection-heavy positions.
Are new role types emerging in coatings and corrosion?
Yes, there’s a clear rise in multifaceted and hybrid roles.
- More coatings professionals are expected to understand application, inspection, digital tools, and data interpretation, not just one piece of the puzzle.
- In practice, many roles now include at least some level of:
- Data interpretation
- Business development
- People management
- Tech fluency
- That blend goes well beyond most traditional job descriptions.
What’s being done to address the talent gap?
Efforts like AMPP’s Talent Force is a strong start and are helping get momentum going, but from Charlie’s perspective, the industry needs to do more overall to bridge the gap at scale.
How is technology changing the skills and mindset employers need in coatings and corrosion roles?
Technology is helping the industry move faster and deliver better outcomes, often with more efficiency than before. But it isn’t replacing the people who truly understand the assets and how they behave in the real world. What matters most now is mindset: an appetite for continuous improvement, learning, and development. If that stays constant, you can adapt to whatever tools or platforms come next—and stay successful.
Where do companies most often misstep when hiring coatings and corrosion talent, and what should they do differently?
Hiring isn’t about getting one thing perfect. It’s about doing lots of small things well, consistently, across the process. Because we’re dealing with people, there are countless points where things can go wrong.
A common mistake, by both employers and candidates, is treating certifications (CIP, API, PMP, CFSE) as a destination rather than a direction. Certifications can signal commitment, but they don’t automatically equal competence.
A big part of the work we do at Pangea is helping people evaluate employers properly, especially whether a company genuinely supports career progression through succession planning, stretch opportunities, and cross-functional exposure. Most people want more than “a job”; they want to feel challenged, supported, and like they’re moving forward year to year.
On the employer side, taking the time to understand a candidate’s goals, motivations, and non-negotiables puts you in a much stronger position, not just to hire well now, but to bring in someone who can still be thriving in your business 5, 10, or 15 years from today.
As coatings and corrosion work modernises, what do managers need to change in their leadership approach to keep teams adaptable, build trust in new tools, and retain talent?
The best leaders today aren’t the ones who direct work best, they’re the ones who develop people. If you only assign tasks, you build dependency, not adaptability, and this industry needs teams that can keep pace with changing tools, standards, and inspection tech. Modernisation also lives or dies on trust: if crews don’t trust digital inspection tools and automated workflows, they won’t use them properly, the data quality suffers, and the investment fails. To attract and keep modern talent, leaders need clear career paths, cross-functional exposure, and a culture where people can admit “I don’t get this yet” and learn without it hurting their future.
What talent strategies work in coatings and corrosion - and why?
Start by using competency-based hiring frameworks that define what “good” looks like at each level, so you hire and promote for capability and growth, not just years of experience or certifications. Treat upskilling as an ongoing investment (especially around digital tools and inspection tech), because one-off training rarely builds real capability or retention. Use structured mentorship to transfer legacy know-how from retiring experts while helping newer, digital-fluent professionals modernize workflows. Finally, accelerate results with clear career pathways and specialist talent partners who understand this niche market and can accurately assess role-specific competencies.
What’s next for the coatings and corrosion workforce, and how should companies prepare?
AI is already reshaping inspection through digital-first reporting, shifting the inspector’s value from capturing data to validating findings, interpreting context, and advising asset owners. Robotics, drones, and autonomous surface-prep systems will increase, and the most valuable professionals will be the ones fluent in both the asset and the technology working on it. Digital twins are moving into mainstream asset management, driving condition-based maintenance and creating new work around maintaining and interpreting models alongside the physical asset. To avoid being left behind, companies should define what “digitally ready” looks like by role, invest in continuous learning, and build leaders who model adaptability, because modernisation usually fails on leadership, not tools.