Quinkana

Fitters, electricians, even truck drivers were hard to find. "We have letters from earthmoving contractors that they can't guarantee they'll be able to supply labour, tyres or explosives," Mr Lenartowicz said.

He said many people had left the industry in the bad years of the late 1990s. "We just don't have the infrastructure to support a resources boom," he said.

And there are warnings that billions of dollars worth of projects - including mine developments to feed China's insatiable demand for iron ore - could be delayed unless the industry in Western Australia alone can find 29,000 skilled workers.

John Howard expressed his support yesterday for a plan for a massive one-year migration rise of 20,000 skilled places, taking the overall intake to about 140,000 in 2005-06 - the biggest quota in almost 20 years.

"We have an economic need at the moment for more skilled people. You can't generate them out of thin air in Australia," the Prime Minister said. "And if part of the solution to that problem is to bring in more skilled migrants then I am in favour of it."

Such is the demand for skilled workers that the starting salary for mining engineer graduates has almost doubled in the past four years.

Kalgoorlie-based WA School of Mines director Peter Lilly said mining engineer graduates in 2000 started work on $50,000 salaries, but those graduating later this year could look forward to signing up on salaries of $90,000. Faced with a record current account deficit this week, Treasurer Peter Costello said the mining industry had invested more than $26 billion over the past three years, which would ensure that "exports will pick up".

But the West Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy estimates that between 25,000 and 29,000 extra skilled workers will be needed for the construction phase for planned mining projects in the state.

These include BHP Billiton's $1.4 billion Ravensthorpe nickel mine, Alcoa's $1.8 billion alumina expansion, Heron Resources' $1.4 billion nickel development and Newcrest Mining's $1.4 billion Telfer redevelopment, now moving into its underground phase.

There are also the iron ore mega-projects in the Pilbara: an expected $1 billion spending by BHP, $1.4 billion by Fortescue Metals Group, $1.5 billion at Hope Downs, $270 million at Rio Tinto's Yandicoogina expansion and $1.7 billion budgeted by International Minerals.

"It's going to be difficult to get workers for all of these," said chamber chief executive Tim Shanahan. "Not all of these big projects are going to proceed and not all are going to proceed at the same time."

The chamber has already told the Federal Government it needs to speed up the approval process for migrating skilled workers and to have a more flexible policy on recognising overseas qualifications.

Mr Shanahan said the labour shortages were causing disruptions throughout the West Australian economy; farm hands were leaving the land for higher paying jobs in mining and mining companies were losing workers to the mine contracting firms.

"This shortage is rippling through the labour market, due to the skills shortage," he said.

Goldmine abandoned

bondipom

Trades enrollments at TAFE have shot up. The building industry will be in recession by the time they are ready for work.

Quinkana

Yep. Mining is currently the opportunity for the semi-skilled in need of a quick quid to get a leg up - learn on the job, qualifications and experience inspected through the other end of the microscope except in critical tasks.

RichS

They need to have a lot more targetted visa migration.

They should perhaps colour code some Visas so that they match a state. That way they could issue say 5,000 Yellow WA migrant visas, which only allowed the person and dependents WA residence, and visibly so. I guess illegal, but they need to stop the flow of people to Sydney/Melbourne to regenerate some growth in the smaller areas.

jayr

We could do with getting hold of some of those hordes of illegal immigrants heading to the UK that some other posters seem so bothered about.

Simone

A friend of mine has just started working in Mt Keith as an electrician(just finished his apprenticeship in Bunbury).
He's doing two weeks up, one week down. $33 an hour, and working 12 hour shifts.
He gets flown up there, has a little tranportable room with 5 foxtel channels, and there is a buffet restuarant and a pub.
His girlfriend isn't liking it.... And he doesn't much either, though he now has time to practice his guitar playing! ) But hopefully they'll have enough money to go on their world trip in approximately November.

I'm even thinking, maybe I should go work in the catering or something up there for a month or so. Great experience, and we'll have a bit more for a deposit on a house.
I probably won't go through with it though, I'm not that adventurous, and it would be risky chucking my permanent job in here(not that I want to stay in this one much longer...)

Quinkana

Bit different to a swag under a mulga bush and a camp fire for a stove these days:

Mt Keith

Simone

Thanks. he he

I picked Allen up from the airport on Tuesday, and was firing questions at him all the way home.
Apparently there's 400 people working out there, but he thinks there's at least that many contractors out there too.
And the maintenance team(or maybe just the electrician? prob not) are about 30 people, about 10 on each shift.

Right now he was working on some kind of switch board.
They have emergency showers there, and the water gets so hot in them, that you'd get burned if you went under! lol (well, not really!).
Anyway, so they're setting up a system that cools the water!

ozzieeagle

Don't they get penalty rates, on top of that hourly rate, for working at weekends and before 6am and after 9pm ?

Simone

I haven't got a clue! Will ask him tomorrow.

I do know that a lot of tax gets taken off though!!!
I think he was TRYING to get stuff taken off before tax though, like for a laptop or something(that he doesn't really need...?!)

ozzieeagle

One of our Nightshift parttimers at the post office, just left. He is a 53 year old bloke, was on circa 38,000 grand for about 30 hours a week. It's what he has left for that indicates the labour shortage and the opportunity, plus the fact that he got qualifications, whilst working part time. He has built up a Bookkeeping business, and feels confident enough that he will be able to continue to grow this. He will be charging 35 bucks per hour. Basically he is now a MYOB expert.

The other Nightshift worker that left us recently, got himself a Stonemasonary ticket, whilst working at the post office parttime nights, Gravestones etc etc. I wouldn't have a clue what he gets, I never asked. But I bet it's pretty good.

Training oneself, to suit Aussie conditions, via tafe courses whilst working partime is probably one of best ways to move forwards in Aussie. Aim for the staff shortages.

I'm informed that one of the most critical shortages in Australia, is in the area of psychiatric nursing, which happens to be my wifes occupation. The average age in this feild is apparently is 48 years old. One can arrive in Aussie, (Melbourne) do a Monash or Latrobe course, (I think it takes 4 years parttime) They prefer mature age students. Average Income would exceed 60,000 as long as one worked shifts of course.

Simone

Yes, but there's often a reason they've got staff shortages.
Either working away from home in the mines, or outside or on roofs in the sun, which even if it isn't 40 degrees is glaring at you.
Well, that's in Perth anyway.

A friend, also on this forum, of eh.. mature age I guess you would call it ( I think he said next month he'll be double my age! ) is doing an apprenticeship for stonemasory at the moment, and is loving it apparently!

ozzieeagle

We have a slight staff shortage problem, on nights, at the post office. Particualy in the Parttime area. Reason being is the hours. A 3am Start is not most peoples idea of having a life. Consequently there is a turn over of staff, Say out of 20 Parttimers we would lose 2 to 3 per year. Plus the way OT is earned, with a phone call at around about 11.30 pm, prior to your shift starting, asking "if you can come in straight away"

Yes Simone, I would agree with you, on there is always a reason for a staff shortage, in most cases. However here in the eastern states, they (the planners) really miscalculated and failed to attract enough people to the basic training of tradesmen feilds.

Quinkana

There are no planners - just the $Buck.

mr mover

ROXBY DOWNS, copper smelter, 4days night shift,4 days,OFF then 4days day shift,4days OFF, all for $65k plus bonus per annum. I have been told one of the biggest problems is ,compulsuory, random DRUG tests, the "reacreational" drug takers are out, of the working enviroment. I wonder what percentage of the mining industry, this would take in. ?..................... mm