THE resources jobs market continued its steady recovery through November, recording its fifth consecutive monthly increase in vacancies, according to DFP Recruitment’s latest Mining & Resources Jobs Index.

The DFP data, provided to AREEA members in advance of its broader release, shows a national rise in total job vacancies of 1.5% through November, bringing the overall rise over the pasts six months to 19.6%.

Vacancies for permanent jobs again led the increase this month with a 2.4% rise and have now risen by 14.5% in the past three months. Temporary/contractor job vacancies have had a more modest increase of 0.4% in November and 13.2% in the last quarter.

Looking at the key mining states, Queensland has been the strongest market in the second half of 2016, recording a 23% rise in vacancies in the past six months, trending well above the national figure. Western Australia’s improvement has been steady at 18% in the past six months, albeit slightly under the national figure.

Other key occupational and sector-based data from DFP Recruitment’s November Mining and Resources Jobs Index is as follows:

Frontline operators: Vacancies for frontline trades and operators remains the strongest performing occupational category.

Coal and minerals: While coming off a very low base, the increased price of coal has contributed to Coal and Mineral Mining vacancies being up by 70.6% over the past six months.

Oil and gas: Very importantly for the overall sector, oil and gas providers have also picked up their hiring activities, and while also coming off a low base, demand has increased by 50.9% year-on-year.

Engineering: It has been a tough market for engineering professionals, and although vacancies are still half of what they were in late 2013, they are now 21% higher than a year ago.

Management: Hiring of operational management remains subdued.

Click here to read the full DFP Recruitment Mining & Resources Jobs Index, November edition.