A report by recruitment agency Hays has expressed the belief that the Australian mining sector has entered 2018 with a renewed optimism as a number of skills shortages have emerged.

In the main mining states of Western Australia and Queensland, mining jobs are in demand. In the former, HD fitters, dump truck operators, underground engineers, maintenance planners and exploration geologists are particularly sought.

In Queensland, machine operators (Draglines, excavators and underground), boilermakers and electricians, mechanical fitters, diesel fitters and CNC machinists will be among the most wanted.

Mechanical fitters, boilermakers, electricians and machinists will also be in demand in New South Wales as well.

In Victoria, where the mining industry has less presence, welders, pipe fitters and quarry operators are listed as among the most sought after positions for the upcoming year.

These positions will be in short supply and high demand throughout 2018, Hays said, due to an increase in new mine sites.

According to Hays, redundancies in recent years have driven employees to jobs with lower wages but better lifestyles, and stated that “given increased vacancy activity, one of the biggest challenges in 2018 will be to entice them back”.

Created from australianmining.com.au