Luma

Heard from someone that they are cutting back on FIFO jobs and mainly employing locals that can drive into the minesites. Good for the local economies not for those that were relying on FIFO work to pay their mortgages.

sonlymewalter

To be fair they (companies) have always brought in locals as it stops the locals from resenting the FIFO arrangements. With recent cut backs and companies looking at further cost savings it was bound to happen that they extend it to more locals wherever possible as this saves on travel expenses, flights and accommodation etc.

The specialist skills will always need to be FIFO if there aren't enough locals to fill those skilled jobs - so nothing will change on that score.

Sign of the times......

verystormy

I think that is more of a QLD thing than a WA thing as there are more local miners that live in the towns close to mines. In WA a lot of the mines simply dont have a local population or if they do, the local population doesnt have mine skills, such as Laverton.

In WA FIFO has cut down simply because the jobs have disapeared.

scrubbedexpat098

I have to say I'm FIFO to WA and I've not really seen much evidence of this slowdown, apart from the clients side. These mining giants are beginning to realise that if they ran their companies as they should do, then their profits would be even more enormous. They've been paying hundreds of people to do nothing but watch subbies work for years and are now just waking up to it.

you just watch I'll get the boot next week

sonlymewalter

Good point I focussed on the locals being in the vicinity as the OP mentioned jobs going to them as opposed to FIFO workers.

Either way most companies are watching costs especially as projects are constantly undercutting costs as much as poss to win contracts and especially if they need to compete with overseas companies and the $ exchange rate.

sonlymewalter

Yep. I've noticed far more accountability and HUGE costs being more closely monitored and assessed and accountability for productivity levels.

Hope you're wrong about the boot

DeepSix

yup.. on my project.. they wont fifo you in from anywhere other than QLD.. which might not sound like much but previously they and other projects had no issues with taking people from wherever

sign of the times.. probably.. hopefully there will be a stabilization.. some new ( might not be mega) projects on the horizon.. and this one might cause a bit of Dickson.. but the guys who got in as there was a boom on, might have to drop out and go back to "civvy st" and therefore there will be still jobs for those that survive ( i have still got 14 - 18 months left on this project

Icecube

I am afraid you are right. A lot of firms prefer to use subbies as they are there to work.

SUPERCAD

it s the same on our project in Qld, im on a FIFO contract were they had a clear out of white collar last December but we are putting more blue collar staff on at the moment, this project was going before the down turn once its over its slim pickings. my next contract is in Europe. Europe is flying in my field and seems to be picking up in general

aussietobe

My friend who has worked on several mine sites said he can't believe the waste that is involved - three times as many workers as what they actually need, huge amounts of food thrown out etc etc He was so outraged he wrote to the mining boss and received a letter back saying 'they were looking into it.'

aussietobe

Really, my husband was just in Europe and said the complete opposite? What field are you in?

Amazulu

Loads of work in engineering in Europe, UK & the USA - oil & gas, rail, power, infrastructure

Contract rates in certain fields are getting close to what they are here

DeepSix

i hope the rest of the world is catching up re contract rates..
I'm getting an itch to get out of gladstone.. but the golden handcuffs are hard to walk away from !

Amazulu

Contract rates in Houston are on a par with here - if not higher. Which kind of shows that the Chevon/KJV justification to do their engineering outside of Australia was bullshit

sonlymewalter

so what changed do ya reckon? Can't be union pressure cos USA is equally unionised as Aus?