After several years in the doldrums, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy claims confidence has finally returned to the sector. Iron ore projects are leading the charge followed by lithium, a key ingredient in the batteries that power electric cars, which is responsible for thousands of jobs in WA.

A DFP Resources job index released in September 2017, showed a 29.6% rise in WA job vacancies in the year to August compared with the same period the previous year, in fields including geology, drilling, engineering, business support, operational managers and trades.

Analysis of 15 mine projects that have been approved or are likely to go ahead shows about 10,000 new construction and operational jobs could be up for grabs. The list considers most of the major new projects due in WA within a few years but is not a comprehensive tally of all upcoming projects, expansions, extensions or upgrades.

The number of mineral exploration licence applications, which is an indicator of the amount of work in the pipeline, was up 45% in the June quarter, at 669, compared with 460 in the June quarter the previous year. Mining tenure applications, usually the first step in setting up a mine project, rose 14% from 3685 in 2015/16 to 4197 in 2016/17.

The demand for professionals involved in exploration has been so intense that skills shortages are starting to emerge in some fields, such as exploration geologists, drillers and underground engineers, however apprenticeship numbers seem to be on the up by 29% compared with 2015/2016.

Kay Roxburgh – Operations Director

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