PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian government reported that some 108 000 jobs have been created by the state’s resources sector over the past two years, as part of some A$43-billion in supply contracts.

Commerce Minister Michael Mischin this week said the state government’s 'Local Content' report for May also showed that the level of local content for projects in the construction phase was averaging 77%.

“This report highlights the real benefits being delivered to West Australians by mineral and energy investment in this state with an estimated 108 000 jobs created or maintained over the past two years,” Mischin said.

“There has been A$43-billion in publicly announced, locally awarded resource supply contracts since July 2011 when the state government launched its Local Industry Participation Framework initiative.”

The Minister said the report demonstrated that Western Australia was enjoying significant stimulus in terms of business activity and employment, adding that contracting outcomes from major project proponents - Woodside, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Chevron - were also included in the report.

Despite the relative slowing in the rate of introduction of new resources projects since September 2012, the Western Australian economy continued to perform well across a range of indicators, including state domestic product, employment, business investment, retail sales, exports and population.

Meanwhile, the report noted that decisions to defer or recast a number of projects have not materially affected the short-term outlook for the state, with resource-based construction activity expected to peak in 2013/14.

According to the Department of State Development, there are more than A$175-billion worth of projects either committed or under consideration for the state during the next few years.

In the longer term, the nature of the mineral and energy sectors’ stimuli to the Western Australian economy would shift to greater gains in production and export sales.

Mischin said the report was the fifth in a series detailing local industry participation trends and outcomes in the state’s mineral and energy projects.

“The biannual Local Content reports were initiated by the Liberal National Government to provide clear and relevant information on an issue that the opposition has attempted to misrepresent,” he said.