Ready to Ride the Opportunity Wave

Q: What makes iPS Powerful People different from any other provider of specialized human capital in the market?

A: iPS Powerful People is a global company present in 15 countries. During its 30 years of history it has created a global database of more than 50,000 candidates, of which almost 10,000 are Mexicans. With such a wide database, we are capable of offering enough local workforce to significantly help companies comply with national content regulation, which is a hot topic at the moment. This capacity is reflected in the fact that, during the 11 years we have worked in Mexico, almost 99 percent of the payroll we have managed consists of Mexican workers, with just over 1 percent consisting of expats.

Q: How do you expect iPS Powerful People’s activities in the upstream sector to change in the short term?

A: As more operators enter the country, we have been asked to find mostly what is called white-collar workforce, meaning those who will manage teams from the office. This is natural, and as companies start their field operations, the shift will be toward acquiring more blue-collar workers who are responsible for installing and operating the required infrastructure and the services that come along with it. One specific requirement we can see coming is in terms of deepwater operations. PEMEX has very little experience in deepwaters and what experience it does have is mainly through contractors. This means that Mexico will have to bring many foreign workers into the country to lead those operations.

We can see a wave of opportunities coming. To be successful we are also investing in our own team, increasing the number of our own employees, re-opening our office in Ciudad del Carmen and even opening offices in Houston, from where most IOCs make important and strategic decisions. Our objective is to be close by and ready to serve our clients. There might be some bumps on the road, but I believe that the industry will continue growing in the coming years, and iPS Powerful People will be there to help it grow.

Q: What activities has iPS Powerful People developed in the midstream and downstream sectors?

A: In the downstream sector, and specifically for retailers, we have worked on getting companies the required white-collar capital they need to manage their business. We do not work on massive recruitment processes, which is why we do not manage the payroll or recruitment of the people operating the gasoline stations, as that is out of our scope. We are less involved in the midstream sector because we are looking forward to increase our footprint in the other two sectors, especially due to the fact that we have more potential clients in those sectors who are asking for our services. With a presence in the Mexican oil and gas industry for 11 years, our team and wide database are ready to offer the best human capital solutions to our clients.

Q: How does iPS Powerful People ensure that its clients receive only the best human capital in the industry?

A: We always thoroughly check the documentation of each and every potential candidate, and if required we can also go very deep into the personal check by including, for example, background checks. However, this can be offered by almost any company in the business. The element in which we excel is relationships. We like to go beyond. We perform background checks with the companies they have worked with before, and having longstanding professional relationships with those companies gives us a much wider network of people who we can contact.

Q: What regulatory elements related to human capital can be improved by local authorities?

A: Mexico was lagging in terms of labor laws, but we are happy to see that the country is working to improve that. One very important element that will improve labor conditions in Mexico is the country becoming a member of the International Labor Organization (ILO). This will be especially important for offshore operations, as being part of the ILO will mean that it will also have to follow the Marine Labor Convention (MLC), which previously was not necessary for vessels in Mexico.

iPS Powerful People offers employment for multinational personnel worldwide. It supplies personnel to the international maritime and dredging industry. Over the years, iPS has expanded its expertise into other sectors, including energy.