Oil & Gas Compensation Surveys

ECI conducts major national compensation surveys annually for the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industry. Strictly controlled to maximize quality and relevance, our exclusive surveys are only distributed to participating companies.

Compensation Surveys

To qualify for participation, companies must meet peer compatibility requirements, which contribute to survey product effectiveness. We work directly with qualified Executive Management and Human Resources Management during the collection process, emphasizing data accuracy and confidentiality. Ultimately, survey data are meticulously screened and aggregated in compliance with anti-trust regulations by our expert analysts to ensure excellence with valid and consistent results.

In 2025 ECI will expand to offer compensation surveys to the Energy Services, Midstream and Alternative Energy industries.

ECI survey questionnaires are all hosted on our secure website. Account credentials are distributed to each eligible company’s authorized contact at the beginning of each survey cycle. ECI maintains strict policies for site access to ensure complete confidentiality of participant data. Survey data collection is segmented by: Incumbent Data and Administrative Policies/Practices, annually. Benefits Practices/Policies or Hot Topics information is collected in alternating years. Incumbent data may optionally be bulk imported, using an Excel template. Data input is validated in real-time as it is entered or imported and must be complete and accurate before data submission is accepted. ECI performs several content validation processes after data submission, producing comprehensive and accurate final results.

About the Survey

Established in 1996, the ECI Oil and Gas E&P compensation survey has become the premier survey for the Exploration & Production industry. In a challenging market, where attracting and retaining top talent is increasingly competitive, this survey is indispensable to companies building and maintaining effective compensation plans.

Zayla Partners acquired Effective Compensation Inc in January of 2024.

2024 Survey Highlights

In 2024, 63 companies submitted data for 410 positions. Publicly traded, private, independent, and subsidiary organizations participated in the survey. These exploration and production companies were categorized small to large by revenue and represent a diversity of regional and offshore locations. The final report, comprised of data for more than 21,000 incumbents, features multi-dimensional perspectives of the market data, including company revenues, E&P capital expenditures budgets, geographic location, and position specific scope data, as well as overall aggregation by position.

2024 Participating Companies

Participation and Cost

This is a participant only survey, open to oil and gas firms with full-time employees actually performing exploration and production activities on owned assets from which the company earns revenue in the U.S. Company size, revenue levels and employee types are also considered. Only organizations that participate and sign a confidentiality agreement may receive the results.

To inquire about eligibility, an authorized company official may submit a request using this form. ECI does not accept requests from consultants or directly from individual employees. If you represent a company interested in participating in this survey, please have an authorized company official initiate an inquiry. 

The cost for survey results is disclosed to eligible companies upon qualification.

2025 Survey Schedule

April 1 – Data Effective Date
Early Summer – Data Submission Deadline

Invitations to participate in the survey are distributed in early April.

The final results report is available for download beginning in late July to early August.

Participants of this robust survey gain valuable insight into peer practices, facilitating competitive compensation planning. More than 400 job positions are surveyed, including multiple levels of Top Management, Energy E&P Management, Professionals, and Support, as well as General Industry Management, Professionals, and Support. The results of this survey are comprehensive, including the following incumbent compensation data metrics:

  • Base Salaries
  • Short-Term Incentive/Bonus (eligibility, targets, amounts)
  • Total Cash (Base + Short-term Incentive)
  • Long-Term Incentive (eligibility, prevalence, amounts, overall and by plan type)
  • Total Direct Compensation (Total Cash + Long-Term Incentive)
  • Position Specific “Scope” Data (e.g., function, experience, FLSA status, etc…)

 

Incumbent data are strategically aggregated to provide participating companies with multi-dimensional perspectives of the market data compared to organizational characteristics. Aligning the data to organizational structure and goals streamlines communication and accelerates relevant compensation decisions.

In addition, policy practices are surveyed and aggregated to provide a total compensation picture. Some topics are surveyed annually, some bi-annually.

Following is a partial list of topics:

Administrative Practices
(Annual Questionnaire)

  • Salary Increase Budgets
  • Market Position
  • Short-term Incentive Practices
  • Long-term Incentive Practices
  • Retention/Recruiting Bonuses
  • Turnover Rates

Benefits Practices
(Even Year Questionnaire)

  • Health Care
  • Income Replacement
  • Retirement
  • Paid Time Off
  • Work/Life Benefits
  • Cost Burden

Hot Topics
(Odd Year Questionnaire)

  • Relocation
  • Employee Perquisites
  • Succession Planning
  • Severance Policy
  • Current Important HR Issues