The mining sector has not had its day just yet, one group claims, with certain aspects of the industry still creating opportunities for labour hire in Queensland and supporting the economy.
The Mining in Australia 2013 to 2028 report from BIS Shrapnel indicates that over the next five years, mining production will be increased, with particular emphasis on iron ore and liquefied natural gas.
As a result, the group believes that mining activity as a share of gross domestic product will increase from 18.7 per cent to 19.8 per cent as the economy becomes even more reliant on the sector.
This will also have implications for recruitment in the mining sector, which BIS Shrapnel forecasts will increase by 60 per cent over the next five years.
Adrian Hart, senior manager of BIS Shrapnel’s infrastructure and mining unit, believes there will be some changes in the mining employment landscape in the near future.
“There is still a lot of work, but it is either being redirected in-house or to lower-cost suppliers,” he commented.
“While this is not expected to be a permanent shift, contractors need to navigate region by region, and sector by sector, to identify opportunities opening up in operations, maintenance and facilities management to offset an aggregate decline in construction and development work.”
BIS Shrapnel anticipates there will be significant increases in mining operations activities, exports and maintenance over the coming years, which could be where the greatest opportunities for adult apprenticeships lie.
There has been a lot of discussion over what the future has in store for the resources sector lately, with Mr Hart suggesting that the negative attention may have been misplaced.
“With respect to the mining boom, it’s probably fair to say that this is not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning,” he commented.
Many large-scale projects are still coming to the fore, creating employment opportunities in mining towns and encouraging people to relocate to wherever their greatest prospects are.
The Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines recently released its performance highlights in the resources sector, showing that in the three months to August, 75,500 people were directly employed and 225,000 indirectly employed in full-time jobs.
The department estimates that for every direct position in the sector, there are three roles that are indirectly linked, showing that resources remains a major employer throughout the state.
