Jobs in demand; 2010 to 2015

On 22 July we wrote a summary of the Government’s National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce report (http://www.theresourcechannel.com.au/blog/61500-new-jobs-2015-report) which detailed around 61,500 new operational jobs required to construct and operate the significant number of projects either underway or planned.

The demand will be strong across construction, mining, and oil and gas operations.  Following is a summary of the growth anticipated across job types and industry.

The following details the number of new jobs anticipated for mining operations for the period 2010 to 2015: 

• Managers; currently 13,977 employed and will increase by 5,571.
• Professionals; currently 24,080 employed and will increase by 9,598.
• Technicians and Tradespeople; currently 37,833 employed and will increase by 15,080.
• Clerical/Administrators; currently 13,791 employed and will increase by 5,497.
• Machinery Operators/Drivers; currently 53,621 employed and will increase by 21,372.
• Labourers; currently 8,140 employed and will increase by 3,244.

Employment growth in Western Australia and Queensland in oil and gas operations will depend on the number of LNG trains constructed by 2015, the location of trains and whether they are tied to existing infrastructure (‘brownfields’) or are completely new (‘greenfields’) projects.

In Queensland, for example, all of the coal seam gas/liquefied natural gas (CSG/LNG) projects will be greenfields.  Owing to the nature of CSG technology, which requires significant numbers of drillers, each train will need between 550 and 650 professional and technical staff during operations.

Energy Skills Queensland has projected new jobs growth by occupation based on slow, moderate and rapid growth scenarios.  Under a moderate growth scenario, the following increase in jobs out to 2015 is anticipated: 

• Engineers; an increase of 580 engineering professionals.
• Science; an increase of 103 geoscience and related disciplines.
• Vocational/Technical (which includes drilling, field construction, process plant operators, mechanical technicians); an increase of 3,197.
• Vocational/Non Technical(which includes occupational health and safety, cultural heritage, transport and logistics); an increase 567.

A major issue identified in the report was the need to enhance the general level of numeracy, literacy and language skills for entry level applicants.  If you are seeking an entry level opportunity – particularly through the survey currently underway on the site – this is one area you can focus on to increase your chance of success when projects commence their recruitment.  It is highly likely that assessments will occur on numeracy, literacy and general comprehension skills to assist with selection.