QLD, WA mining jobs surge during pandemic

Western Australia and Queensland led the way, increasing their share of job advertisements in the mining industry during the March quarter.

The states lifted their share of trades and skilled mining job advertisements during the period by 4 and 5 per cent, respectively.

Fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) roles also experienced an increase to 22.8 per cent, surging above its long-term average of 18.2 per cent.

Other states, however, experienced relative reductions, suggesting job opportunities in stronger mining states while other regions may be less likely to hire during an uncertain time.

Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable addressed the study’s key findings, stating that trades and skilled recruitment roles had been “more robust” than professional corporate roles during the pandemic.

“Another 8785 mining job ads were added to the research study in the last quarter,” Constable said.

“While that’s lower than the 9242 job advertisements identified in the previous quarter, it shows that mining jobs have stayed strong even in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic.

“Australian mining is proud to offer more job opportunities both during and in recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and is doing more to recruit more people to the highly skilled, highly paid jobs which mining offers.”

This is the first detailed study of mining job trends since the pandemic hit Australia.