Mining jobs to soar in 2011

By Cara Jenkin   

The mining boom is tipped to be the burgeoning employment industry in South Australia in 2011, despite the sector’s growth stalling in the past three years.

Before the economic downturn, mining was on the verge of a significant employment boom, the biggest of which in South Australia being the Olympic Dam mine at Roxby Downs from 2009-10.

It was initially predicted to require up to 12,000 workers in the mine construction phase alone and thousands more in service, support and associated developments.

The global financial crisis postponed development on many mining projects worldwide but last year employment in the industry started to pick up again.

Manpower Australia managing director Lincoln Crawley says the mining sector will continue its hiring surge in 2011.

“We’ve heard a lot from mining and construction sector employers about skills shortages and these figures now serve to add more urgency to the need for a solution,” he says.

“Organisations need to prioritise attraction and retention strategies as the war for talent will be heating up.”

Talent2 predicts mine planning engineers, senior boiler engineers and I&C electrical engineers will be in high demand this year.

Hays warns the fight to hire the best talent also will extend far beyond the engineering field throughout the whole resources chain, from exploration to construction, fabrication and exporting.

All of which has a shortage of skilled staff.

Its quarterly report for January, February and March reveals the SA sector is emerging from its GFC-slowdown and employers now are actively replacing staff who were made redundant, including exploration geologists, project geologists and exploration managers.

“Add a number of new IPOs (initial public offerings) and an increase of new drill programs, both resource and exploration, for early 2011 and the market is very active,” it says.

Mining engineers, production supervisors and project managers with operational mining experience also are required. “This is a response to the new mines that are due to come on line during 2011, with the recruitment of management personnel commencing early 2011.

“We have also witnessed rapid growth in the number of inquiries for heavy industrial construction candidates in South Australia.

“Big developments are under way at Whyalla, with associated contractors again ramping up their staffing levels.”

It finds construction contractors at Prominent Hill and Olympic Dam mines are looking for good staff.

Australian Institute of Social Research executive director Dr John Spoehr says mining development provides opportunities for workers who live across the state and are employed in varying industries.

Further plans for Olympic Dam are expected to be revealed by BHP Billiton this year. They will add further impetus to employment growth.

“That will have benefits for both northern and southern Adelaide, which will be involved in providing goods and services for the expansion of the Olympic Dam site,” Dr Spoehr says.

He says the Upper Spencer Gulf region will be strongly linked to supplying goods and services for the expansion because of its range of services and closeness to the mine.

“For regional SA, there’s a very significant jobs base that will flow from that announcement, should it be an announcement to progress with the site in late 2011 and early 2012,” he says.

Exact Mining Services is one SA company which is expecting to benefit this year from the mining employment boom. It provides workers and equipment to mining companies.

Human resources general manager Peter Fuss says it will be recruiting this year because of the high turnover nature of the industry, regardless of employment growth.

“But we’re also seeing some positive signs of some growth in the mining area, in terms of new projects coming on stream,”

he says.

“We would say there certainly will be recruiting. That recruiting, for us, will be a combination of our usual and normal turnover and as a result of some growth in mining opportunities, both here in the state and, hopefully for us, out of state.”

Article from The Advertiser, January 22, 2011.