PERTH (miningweekly.com) – South Australia’s resource sector would need another 35 000 employees over the next 16 years, new research from the Resources and Engineering Skills Alliance (Resa) has shown.

These employees would be in addition to the 15 000 who were currently employed in the sector.

“It is important to appreciate that this estimate is more than double the number in South Australia’s resources sector at present,” Resa CEO Phil de Courcey said.

“It poses a serious challenge of where the state sources these employees and whether we can access the right talent pool in sufficient numbers to meet this rapid growth in workforce demand for advanced mining projects.”

The new longer term mining job challenge follows a Resa report earlier this year, which found that the number of workers employed in the sector would remain fairly constant over the next seven years, without taking into consideration the new mining projects to be commissioned.

De Courcey said on Tuesday that the soon to be released full study results would show that in addition to these existing 20 resources projects, there were expected to be around 40 new mining and infrastructure projects up to 2030, which will require an additional 35 000 employees.

“The precise data is being finalised but there is no doubt that South Australia can look forward to a strong growth of mining-based employment across the three spheres of supply chain companies, developing mines and operational mines,” he said.

Resa added that the initial findings are pointing to an acute shortage, particularly by 2018, in some occupations. 

Early indicators point towards the highest demand being for crusher and dragline operators, exploration drillers, laboratory assistants, underground and opencut miners and mobile plant and process plant operators.

Commenting on the early findings, South Australian Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills Grace Portolesi said the South Australian government was a strong supporter of the mining and resources sector and welcomed continued growth.

“This is why this government has invested in skills for the sector by investing over A$38-million in the Mining, Engineering and Transport Centre at Regency TAFE and over A$17-million in Skills for All-funded training related to the mining and resources sector in 2012/13.”