The Australian Resources & Energy Group has released a report stating the mining industry would need to employ 21,000 new staff by 2024.

The AREG arrived at this figure by analysing the operational requirements of 57 projects in Australia – a combined value of $41bn – and found thousands of potential job roles were required, from plant operators to mechanical engineers and geologists. Steve Knott AM, CEO, remarked, “While demand across the next four years will be far steadier than the unprecedented growth we saw in 2005-2012, it is clear that securing the pipeline of skills to support mining project growth to 2024 will be a significant challenge”.

The report, which was published in September 2019, highlights Western Australia as the region likely to require the lion’s share of new workers, an estimated 10,679 employees spread across 30 projects focusing on lithium, coal, gold and particularly iron ore. This is partially corroborated by a web post from recruiter Cormac Consulting in 2019, which listed nine upcoming projects in WA, three in Queensland, one in South Australia and one in New South Wales.