Editor's Blog

Pockets of the resources industry are expected to grow and continue to source overseas labour.

23/12/2013

A NEW REPORT from Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) indicates that while a plunge in jobs is expected in the resources construction industry,  there are however new jobs expected to emerge in other pockets of the resources industry outside of resources construction.

AWPA says that jobs in the oil and gas industry is likely to jump by nearly two thirds from just under 39,000 workers in 2013 to 61,212 in 2018. It also predicts employment in mining production to rise by about 7 per cent from 236,690 workers in 2013 to 254,260 in 2018 as the export phase of the resources boom takes over.

AWPA warns that these jobs will be ‘difficult to source’ locally and it is very likely these jobs will have to be sourced from overseas, unless the local labour force is trained to address the shortage.

AWPA recommends that the resources industry works with governments and education providers to develop a national strategy for the oil and gas industry with new university courses and apprenticeship schemes.

But until then, skilled migration, is likely to remain the source of labour. It is already reported that Shell expects that about 10 per cent of its workforce on the Prelude floating LNG project off northern Australia will be filled by highly trained foreign staff.

By Jerry Gomez, Editor Migration Alliance, RMA (0854080), and Lawyer.