Study highlights job demand trends in mining

The growth in demand for mining workers has been highlighted in an independent pilot study undertaken for the Minerals Council of Australia.

Job demand in blue-collar fields in the sector was up 120 per cent in the three months to November 2018 (16,000 positions) throughout Australia compared to the three months to March 2016 (6000 positions).

The MCA says the work by technology firm CoverCard is the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of mining-related jobs and skills advertising in Australia.

It uses CoverCard’s database of more than four million mining-related jobs and skills to help evaluate employment trends in blue-collar jobs.

The study found job demand over the last three years was greatest in Western Australia (33 per cent of advertised mining jobs), closely followed by Queensland (29 per cent).

Licence requirements show sought-after skills

It 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.

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 (‘dogging’) skills.

MCA general manager – workforce and innovation Gavin Lind said the analysis provided industry and job-seekers with an excellent understanding of which skills were in demand as the mining industry continued to grow.

“‘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,” Dr Lind said.

“Training institutions will also now have better information on which qualifications are most in demand across mining regions.”