Staffing the Super Cycle
Media Release: Study forecasts huge growth in mining jobs.
Skills Shortages To Intensify In The Minerals Industry
Skills shortages plaguing Australia’s expanding minerals industry are likely to intensify and require imaginative solutions, according to a new report from the Minerals Industry National Skills Shortage Strategy (NSSS) Working Party.
Employment in the minerals sector is projected to grow by 76 per cent over the next decade, equating to more than 70,000 new positions, with significant gaps between supply and demand according to the report, Staffing the Supercycle: Labour Force Outlook in the Minerals Sector, 2005-2015.
Employment growth identified in this report predominates in Western Australia and Queensland with 42,000 and 15,000 positions projected respectively. Significant employment growth is also anticipated in the NSW and South Australian resources sectors.
Skills shortages, in terms of absolute numbers, are expected to be most severe in trades and semi-skilled positions, with the copper, nickel and bauxite/alumina industries experiencing the strongest growth in labour demand. However, shortages in certain professional occupations and the challenge to attract enough people into these occupations will remain critical.
The report provides a new insight into the issue of skills shortages, and the occupations where shortages are likely to become most acute, according to NSSS Chairman and Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA President, Dr David Smith.
“This study provides clues as to the extent of future jobs growth in the resources sector, during this historic phase of demand for Australia’s raw materials,” Dr Smith said.
The projected demand for labour reinforces the need for a vigorous multi-faceted response according to Minerals Council of Australia Chief Executive Mitchell H Hooke.
“There’s no room for complacency given the anticipated demand for labour,” Mr Hooke said.
“Industry must continue to be enterprising to attract and retain workers. This means active promotion of careers at the school level, support for technical, trade and professional education, and looking to expand recruitment of women and indigenous people.”
“As this report highlights, we are not just looking at a skills shortage, but in fact a people shortage.”
“Besides our other strategies, skilled migration will need to remain a key element in tackling skills shortages in the minerals industry,” Mr Hooke said.
Staffing the Supercycle: Labour Force Outlook in the Minerals Sector, 2005-2015, is available on the MCA website: www.minerals.org.au and the CME website: www.cmewa.com
