Nationwide, petroleum companies are having a difficult time finding enough workers to handle an increase in business due to rising oil prices. But whether that labor crunch has hit the Miss-Lou depends on which oil-related business you ask. With 14 workers, Natchez oil service and exploration company REDCO/Radzewicz Oil currently has all the workers it needs. But that could change quickly, since workers often leave for other occupations, said General Manager Maureen Radzewicz.

The company, which usually hires workers through newspaper ads and by word of mouth, is always taking applications in case someone quits. The ideal applicant would already have experience in the oil industry because it takes several weeks to train someone new, Radzewicz said.

&uot;Finding good workers is almost impossible because many people under 40 don’t want to learn the oilfield,&uot;&160;she said. &uot;Then, once we do hire someone, you can count on them leaving for better jobs or more money.&uot;

Before the oil bust of the 1980s, qualified oilfield workers weren’t hard to find in the area, but many have gotten out of the industry after several periods of low prices, she said.

&uot;People who got out of the business aren’t getting back in,&uot; said Gary Parker, operations manager for David New Oil. &uot;After a few bust periods, they went to work for businesses like grocery stores. The money’s not great, but (the jobs)&160;have no down time and a steady paycheck.&uot;

To attract workers, Radzewicz said her company pays 100 percent of workers’ insurance and guarantees a minimum wage that increases depending on a person’s experience.

Others, like Manager Hoss Davis of Reliable Oil in Vidalia, say they aren’t having that much trouble finding workers.

&uot;If you keep your equipment safe, pay your workers well and treat them well, you shouldn’t have any problem,&uot; said Davis, whose company has 12 employees.

&uot;For the last couple of months, people have been calling saying they know we’re busy and they want to go to work,&uot;&160;said Jess Horton, co-owner of D&D Drilling in Ferriday.

Part of the reason D&D has stayed so busy, both this year and during last year’s low prices, is that much of its business involves drilling for natural gas, whose prices have stayed more steady, he added.

But some also said they expect to have more trouble finding good workers once prices stay up for a while, spurring more business for the petroleum industry.

&uot;We’re trying to put on another rig on now, so we’ll probably have problems with hiring some workers then,&uot;&160;Davis said. &uot;Right now, we have everyone we need, but we’re running at capacity,&uot;&160;Parker said. &uot;If we start adding more business, we’ll need more.&uot;

The main challenge will be that many people now think of the oil business as an unstable industry, Radzewicz said.

&uot;But I think the (local) industry will last at least for my lifetime,&uot;&160;she added. &uot;We won’t see the boom of the late ’70s or early ’80s, but operators are being more frugal and working smarter now.&uot;