In Western Australia, the mining industry is desperate to fill over 1,000 positions in almost all industries, from tradesmen to engineers.
According to SEEK, mining jobs advertised online increased by 32 percent in the past year. Mechanics and heavy-duty diesel fitters are needed in Perth for jobs paying up to 190,000 dollars a year. The only requirements are three years trade experience and certifications.
Those who don’t mind working for extended hours on a ‘fly in fly out’ roster in remote areas like Pilbara, Karratha and Port Hedland can also earn up to $50 per hour.
Crane operators and riggers, boilermakers, dozer and dump truck operators, as well as general laborers, are needed in Perth.
These roles play from $43 an hour and require workers to have recognized trade qualifications, to be comfortable working at heights, and high-risk work cards.
In North West mine sites, housekeeping and cleaning positions are needed with experience and qualification requirements.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy brings in skilled migrants to fill the positions Australians didn’t want.
According to the body’s CEO Paul Everingham, there were currently over 1,000 vacancies in the Kalgoorlie mining sector.
“You can’t sugar coat that – they’re available now and they’re not being filled,” he said.
Although he emphasized that companies prioritized Australian applicants, he said that most employers were simply desperate to hire any skilled workers to have the work done.
“All Australian companies want to employ Australians first, but if there aren’t enough Australians….,” he expressed. “So if we have to set up special immigration or work zones, our members would definitely welcome the ability to get access to skilled workers immediately.”
John Bowle, Mayor of Kalgoorlie, described the job shortage in the mining industry as ‘crisis,’ urging the government to bring in skilled migrants.
“We’ve got almost a crisis on our hands, and I suppose that might be a bit dramatic, but there’s a lot of businesses out there that say they would employ a lot more people if they could get them,” he said.
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