Wed 29 Nov 2006

Mining jobs no pushover, says recruiter

Getting a job in the booming Australian mining industry is not as easy as people think, says a recruiter.

Getting a job in the booming Australian mining industry is not as easy as people think, says a recruiter.

A central Queensland recruitment agency has 10,500 people registered looking for work in the Bowen Basin coal mining region near Mackay.

Extreme Workforce and Employment recruitment officer Tara Sandhoff said many workers applying for jobs were unskilled and the mining companies didn't have the positions for them.

Ms Sandhoff said those who moved to the area often were disappointed and left without jobs.

"Unfortunately, because they haven't done the research, they quite often get here and that's when they find out that it wasn't quite as easy as they originally perceived," she said.

"It's a competitive industry for those that are unskilled labour."

Ms Sandhoff said many people believed they would get a high paying job in Mackay, but it was not always the case, or easy to establish themselves.

"The first thing they come up against is the fact accommodation in Mackay is limited, and it's very expensive," she said.

"It can quite often take a long time to get something in the mining industry, if they get something at all."

Ms Sandhoff said unskilled labourers will had a harder time getting work, with mining companies looking for people with trade qualifications.

Many people didn't realise the qualifications they needed, she said.

A recent survey of Queensland Resources Council (QRC) members showed "remarkable growth" in the state's mining and energy sector.

The survey found workers' salaries were up to $2.2 billion in 2005-06, compared with $1.98 billion in the previous financial year.

QRC chief executive Michael Roche said there were 700 job vacancies in the sector in Queensland, while nationwide it was estimated another 70,000 workers were needed by 2015.