Job vacancies in mining and resources have stabilised following the regular seasonal period slide.

The second month of jobs data for 2019 revealed mining and resources sector opportunities had recovered, showing only a small decline in February.

DFP Recruitment’s Mining and Resources Job Index revealed the downward trend of the last six months of 2018 had subsided, with year-on-year job vacancies now only one per cent higher than 12 months ago.

Permanent job vacancies are six per cent higher year-on-year, while temporary/contractor job vacancies are 6.5 per cent lower.

Western Australia is holding up well and continues to dominate its position as market leader for resources sector jobs, now boasting more than half of the national market share for job opportunities.

Conversely, vacancies in Queensland continue to fall and suffered its sixth consecutive decline. Vacant jobs in the state have now fallen by 12.5 per cent over the past quarter and 21.8 per cent over the past six months.

Metal ore mining continues to have the greatest market share of vacancies, with 47.9 per cent of all vacancies.

Coal and mineral mining vacancies continue to be volatile – despite starting 2019 with an 18 per cent increase – falling 7.2 per cent in February.

Vacancies is this sub-sector reveal a concerning sustained trend, now down 18.9 per cent over the past six months.

“Of the individual job categories, construction, electrical and mechanical Trades off to the most positive start with a further 5.3% increase in vacancies in February and up 17.1 per cent for the quarter,” DFP Recruitment CEO Robert van Stokrom said.

“Opportunities for engineers remains flat.”