PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Demand for resource staff continues to grow across Australia, with new research by technology firm CoverCard finding that Western Australia has been leading the charge over the last three years.
In research conducted on behalf of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), CoverCard found that nearly 33% of the advertised mining jobs over the last three years were for positions in Western Australia, with Queensland accounting for 29% and New South Wales for 22%.
Demand for resources staff across Australia was up by 120% in the three months to November last year, compared with the three months to March in 2016, with fly-in, fly-out offers taking top spot in terms of advertising frequency in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
The study also found that there was strong interest in skilled Australian workers able to operate in high-risk environments, based on an analysis of licence requirements.
“Forklift operators, working safely at heights and working on boom-type elevating work platforms and safely working in confined spaces were the most sought-after occupations,” MCA GM for workforce and innovation Dr Gavin Lind said on Monday.
“Both basic and advanced rigging tickets and construction induction cards were also frequently included in job descriptions by employers. There was also keen interest in people with handling crane payloads skills.”
Lind said this analysis provided industry and job-seekers with an excellent understanding of which skills were in demand as the mining industry continued to grow and provide highly paid, high skilled jobs in regional Australia.
“This analysis not only shows an industry continuing to grow and employ people in regional Australia, it will also help people wanting to work in mining to target their choice of qualification,” Lind said.
“Training institutions will also now have better information on which qualifications are most in demand across mining regions.”