Originally Posted by
Heathrow Harry
One of the big problems in Aberdeen has always been the split between the oil patch & the rest - the shortages Outlaw Pete is talking about are mainly in jobs & professions that require high qualifications and experience like Petroleum Engineering and Process Engineering
The days when it was all muscle and few brains are long gone even on the( sic shop floor) drill floor
When the oil price is up the city is full of well-paid incomers who help support (service industries and transport) the local population much of which is not well qualified. Places like Torry and Northfield are like Blackbird Leys, Drumchapel or parts of SE London - poor people with a lot of social problems
Indeed a pattern that is no different from any other conurbation in the UK or elsewhere for that matter. The disparity between affluent and poor most markedly exemplified as you say in London. Aberdeen has weathered the financial storm well; I believe it was the only area in the UK outside of London to reflect positive growth in the last quarter.