Thursday, October 25, 2012

Australian Mining corporations Facing important Skills Shortages


A new report free by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) paints a grim image for Australian mining corporations. overrun with skills shortages in skilled, delicate and semi-skilled professions, mining corporations haven't any selection however to supply candidates from overseas. Wages for staff with skilled qualifications and skill in engineering, geosciences and civil construction ar enjoying rates a lot of on top of in alternative components of the globe.

The analysis within the chance at risk: acquisition our competitive come on minerals resources report identifies 2 main reasons why the Australian personnel has not been able to meet the demand for delicate staff.

Record low state

Some of the foremost important mining jobs can not be stuffed by this Australian personnel. state rates in mining regions ar solely a pair of to 3%; mining engineers, geologists, technicians, metallurgists and staff with connected skills ar already utilized.


Australia has enjoyed a mining boom for the past several years. While mining operations are working at capacity, nearly 100 new projects are in the advanced stages of development. Representing $260 billion in capital expenditure, these new projects are putting extreme pressure on employers to find skilled workers in a labour market that's already depleted its talent.

Universities struggling with demand

Universities cannot keep up with industry demand. According to the MCA report,

"New graduates in geoscience between 2010 and 2015 are forecast to meet less than 20% of new and replacement demand. In mining engineering, the figure is 40%."

It's not just professional skills in short supply; key trades are also experiencing acute shortages.

"Between 2005 and 2010, for example, supply of newly qualified electrical and telecommunications tradespeople was only 55% of new job growth before replacement."

Australian universities are graduating new professionals and training organisations are deploying skilled tradesmen as quickly as possible. Both industry and government are supporting programs to reform occupational licensing. Complementary industries such as manufacturing are being targeted to help reskill workers for the resources industry. Up skilling, training and retraining programs are underway with state and federal government support. These measures, while positive and necessary for the health of the long-term workforce, do not address the immediate need.

Temporary skilled migration

The fields of engineering, geology and metallurgy are already relying on immigration to meet demand. Most recently, workers with civil construction experience are also being encouraged to consider temporary skilled migration to Australia.

No comments:

Post a Comment