U.S.-based oil and gas professionals are experiencing growth in wages with a 12-month salary increase of $7,000, which brings average wages to $124,000, according to The Oil and Gas Global Salary Guide 2012, produced annually by Hays Oil & Gas and jobsite Oil and Gas Job Search.

Imported labor is also seeing higher wages at $119,400, up from $110,700 in 2011 while global average wages in the oil industry are at $80,458, up from $75,813 in 2011. North American contractor rates, which are used as an indicator of future trends in wage growth, stayed competitive in comparison to other regions. Management-level positions can expect an average daily rate of $810, and directors and vice president-level contractors are seeing an average of $1,100 per day.

"U.S. wage growth across sectors and after inflation has been taken into account has been minimal – hovering around 1 percent for a great part of 2011," says Matt Underhill, managing director of Hays Oil & Gas. "Our research for the U.S. oil and gas industry defiantly bucks the general trend."