The resources sector is returning to full employment health, according to a survey by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM).
AusIMM’s 2018 Professionals Workforce Survey recorded a resources sector unemployment rate of 2.6 per cent, a figure less than half that of the Australian average and 11.5 per cent lower than the 14.1 per cent figure in the resources sector in 2016.
More than 1500 people took part in the survey, with 70 per cent of respondents agreeing that the industry was offering increasing opportunities in 2018.
Just 17 per cent of participants in AusIMM’s 2015 survey felt the same, suggesting a huge improvement of outlook in the past three years.
AusIMM chief executive officer Stephen Durkin said that students in particular had shown an increased confidence in the resources industry.
“Increasing student confidence in the sector will encourage more young people to enter STEM-related courses with the assurance of a long, stable career in a strong industry,’ he said.
“This is significant given the importance of attracting and retaining a skilled workforce to a changing industry.”
The survey also examined factors outside of jobs and industry growth. When asked about workplace diversity, 69 per cent of male and 64 per cent of female respondents said that their workplaces met or exceeded expectations.
However, more than half of female participants in the survey believed the resources industry was generally not diverse.
Durkin pointed to the establishment of its Council for Diversity and Inclusion as a step AusIMM had taken to commit to improvement in the resources industry in this regard.
‘A diverse and inclusive sector will attract and retain the necessary talent for a modern, sustainable mining industry, while encouraging innovative thinking from a broad pool of professionals,’ he said.