The Resources & Mining July – September Quarterly Report, from Hays Specialist Recruitment, examines Australia’s employment trends in the resources industry.
It notes that of the recent emerging trends, employers are considering candidates with non-mining experience and are keen to increase diversity within their workforces.
That said, candidates with no prior experience in the resources sector will need to prove that they have worked in industries that face similar challenges, such as oil and gas manufacturing.
In breaking down skills requirements state by state, Hays’ report found that in New South Wales, due to commercial and residential projects underway, project engineers, project managers, forepersons and estimators are in short supply.
In Queensland, dragline operators, diesel fitters and drill and blast operators are needed.
Gold exploration projects are driving demand in Western Australia. In turn, this is driving vacancies in drill and blast specialists and metallurgists in the state.
Mechanical fitters are in high demand in Victoria. According to the report, this is due to the scarcity of candidates interested in the remote location of roles “especially” within the quarry sector. Mechanical fitters have consequently been added to the Victorian State Government skills shortage list.
In the Northern Territory, mechanical, electrical and heavy diesel fitters are in desperate demand. In South Australia, rubber liners and belt splicers are required.
Hays also noted that Tasmania is experiencing its busiest construction period of the last decade. As a result, the ‘Apple Isle’ is experiencing statewide demand for nearly all construction trades, particularly HVAC technicians and structural steel fabricators.
Hays’ report included a summary of the trends it expects to see this quarter, including “an increase in temporary and contract roles as employers supplement new mining industry entrants with flexible and experienced contractors”. It is anticipated that these workers would later be converted into the “permanent headcount”.
“In another trend, improved technology around automation and a continual push towards greater mine efficiency and maximising production will increase engineering roles and eventually reduce repetitive high risk tasks,” the report added.
A leading global specialist recruiting group for 40 years, Hays operates across the private and public sectors in the Asia-Pacific region, the UK, continental Europe and Latin America.
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