The fastest-growing offshore markets right now are offshore wind and offshore oil and gas in emerging regions like the Middle East, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Investment in offshore renewables has accelerated sharply since 2023, while traditional oil and gas activity has rebounded strongly in areas where production costs are competitive. If you work in offshore staffing, operations, or project management, understanding where growth is happening helps you plan ahead and position your workforce accordingly. Below, we break down the key questions driving that conversation in 2026.
Which offshore sectors are seeing the most investment right now?
Offshore wind and oil and gas are both attracting major capital in 2026, though for different reasons. Offshore wind is being driven by government energy targets and long-term decarbonisation commitments across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. Oil and gas investment, meanwhile, is being sustained by energy security concerns and strong demand from developing economies that still depend heavily on fossil fuels.
Beyond those two headline sectors, offshore civil and marine infrastructure is also growing. Port expansion, subsea cable installation, and offshore hydrogen projects are all generating demand for specialised vessels and crews. The sector is broader than it has ever been, which means competition for qualified offshore professionals is intense across the board.
Key sectors attracting offshore investment in 2026:
- Offshore wind — fixed-bottom and floating installations, especially in Europe and Asia
- Oil and gas — deepwater projects in the Middle East, West Africa, and the Gulf of Mexico
- Subsea infrastructure — cables, pipelines, and interconnectors
- Offshore hydrogen — early-stage but growing rapidly in Northern Europe
- Dredging and marine civil works — port development and coastal protection
What regions are leading offshore market expansion?
Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are the three regions leading offshore market expansion in 2026. Europe dominates offshore wind development, with the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Celtic Sea all seeing active project pipelines. The Middle East continues to grow as a hub for oil and gas, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar all investing heavily in offshore production capacity. Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, is emerging as a significant growth market for both renewables and hydrocarbons.
The Gulf of Mexico remains a mature but active market, with ongoing deepwater drilling and decommissioning work generating steady demand. West Africa, particularly Mozambique, Senegal, and Namibia, is attracting attention for its frontier oil and gas potential.
For companies looking to explore offshore industries across multiple regions, understanding the regulatory and labour market differences between these areas is important. Sourcing crew for a project in the Baltic is a very different challenge from staffing a platform in the Gulf of Mexico, and local knowledge makes a real difference.
How does offshore wind growth compare to oil and gas activity?
Offshore wind is growing faster in terms of new project volume, but oil and gas still represents the larger share of total offshore investment globally. The number of offshore wind installations commissioned each year has increased significantly since 2022, and the pipeline of projects planned for the next decade is substantial. Oil and gas, by contrast, is not shrinking but is growing more selectively, with operators focusing on high-return deepwater assets and reducing exposure to marginal fields.
The practical implication for workforce planning is that both sectors are competing for overlapping talent pools. Marine engineers, offshore installation managers, dynamic positioning operators, and safety officers are needed in both industries. That overlap is pushing up day rates and extending lead times for finding qualified candidates, particularly for roles that require dual competency across renewables and traditional energy.
A useful way to compare the two sectors side by side:
- Offshore wind: High project volume, newer asset types, strong European and Asian growth, increasing demand for installation and O&M crews
- Oil and gas: Larger individual project values, concentrated in the Middle East and the Americas, sustained demand for drilling and production specialists
- Shared talent demand: DP operators, offshore installation managers, QHSE officers, marine superintendents
What skills are most in demand across growing offshore markets?
The most in-demand offshore skills in 2026 are dynamic positioning (DP) operations, offshore wind installation and O&M competencies, subsea engineering, and QHSE management. These roles appear consistently across the fastest-growing markets and are in short supply relative to demand.
Beyond technical qualifications, employers are increasingly looking for professionals with cross-sector experience. Someone who has worked on both oil and gas platforms and offshore wind installations is significantly more deployable, and therefore more valuable, than a specialist with experience in only one area.
Other high-demand roles and skills include:
- Offshore installation managers (OIMs) with renewables experience
- Marine warranty surveyors
- Subsea engineers and ROV technicians
- Electrical and instrumentation technicians for offshore wind turbines
- Crane and lifting specialists for heavy-lift installation vessels
- Offshore medics with BOSIET and HUET certification
If you want to see where these roles are being filled right now, browsing current offshore vacancies gives a clear picture of what clients are actively hiring for.
Which offshore markets will grow the most over the next five years?
Over the next five years, floating offshore wind, Middle East oil and gas, and West African LNG are projected to see the strongest growth in offshore activity. Floating wind in particular is moving from demonstration projects to commercial scale, opening up deep-water sites off the coasts of Norway, Scotland, Japan, and the US West Coast that were previously inaccessible.
The Middle East will continue to expand offshore production capacity as national oil companies invest in long-term output growth. West Africa is attracting international operators to frontier basins, and the infrastructure buildout required to bring those resources to market will generate sustained demand for offshore construction and installation crews.
For workforce planners, the five-year outlook means one thing clearly: start building your talent pipeline now. The professionals who will staff these projects are already working in the industry, and the competition to secure them is increasing every year.
How iPS Powerful People helps you staff across growing offshore markets
We have been placing offshore professionals across maritime, renewables, and oil and gas for over 35 years. Our database includes more than 100,000 qualified candidates, and we have offices and representatives in the Netherlands, the Baltic States, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Dubai, and the US. That means we understand the local labour markets, visa requirements, and compliance obligations in the regions where offshore growth is happening right now.
Here is what we can do for you:
- Source and place individual offshore specialists, from DP operators to OIMs and subsea engineers
- Take on full project crewing, covering the entire workforce from survey through to installation and O&M
- Handle cross-border payroll and contracts, including A1 certificates and full compliance with local employment law, so you carry no administrative risk
- Screen all candidates against QHSE requirements and international safety standards before any placement
- Provide 24/7 responsiveness when your project timeline does not allow for delays
We are also B Corp certified, which means our approach to people and the planet meets independently verified standards for social and environmental performance. Whether you need one specialist or a full project crew, we are ready to help. Learn more about us or get in touch to discuss your offshore staffing needs.