Quarry industry feedback carves out path to recovery

Up to 85 business leaders in the quarrying industry have outlined their plans for recovery as the sector experiences its first recession in three decades.

From 28 May to 5 June 2020, Prime Creative Media surveyed businesses across 15 separate industries to capture the views of companies as COVID-19 restrictions eased.

The survey found that many Australian businesses across major industries are retaining levels of investment and optimising for a better future.

Australia’s construction industry has an estimated total value of $360 billion . And with a continued ramp up of infrastructure projects, more activity is still on the horizon.

This shows in more than half (57.83 per cent) of respondents believing government support (both state and federal) for quarrying has been acceptable, and 24.10 per cent saying government support has been strong.

41.18 per cent of quarrying businesses said not a lot of impact has been caused by COVID-19.

Respondents to the quarry survey were mid-mid-level managers (43.53 per cent) and executives (27.06 per cent). The survey found that out of these respondents, 27.06 per cent had 11 and 50 people working within their operations, followed by 23.53 per cent with more than 500 and 22.35 per cent with fewer than (or equal to) 10 workers.

Almost half (41.18 per cent) of the respondents reported that the impact of COVID-19 on operations had been minimal, with 38.82 per cent reporting it had a somewhat negative effect.

33.33 per cent of quarry businesses expect to bounce back within the next six to 12 months.

Hiring intentions

With Australia still in the thick of an economic downturn, 33.33 per cent of the respondents expected business to return to earlier levels of activity in six to 12 months.

Employment in quarrying tells a different story – with 38.82 per cent of respondents not expecting to create new positions, and 29.41 running with a reduced number of staff. A further 28.24 per cent hope to create more positions within the next 12 months.

The majority of respondents believe the government (both state and federal) are providing adequate support for the quarrying industry.

The respondents expressed some optimism i in the survey, with 55.95 per cent indicating they are maintaining their levels of marketing, along with 44.05 per cent expecting to attend trade shows when the government considers them to be safe.

Overall, the results show that many business leaders, including quarrying, are keeping a positive attitude as the country emerges from COVID-19’s economic grasp.