Western Australia is experiencing a surge in demand for resource workers. This is driven by nearly 50 mining and oil and gas projects in the state’s investment pipelines.
Key sectors like lithium and critical minerals are bolstering a stable labour market. Future energy initiatives—encompassing oil, gas, and LNG—are expected to attract a total investment of $55.7 billion over the next five years.
According to the Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA), WA’s proposed projects will need over 11,000 new workers by 2029. AREEA’s Resources and Energy Workforce Forecast: 2024-2029 report analyses the labour and operational costs for new, expanded, and restarted projects slated to begin production in the coming years.
With 48 resource projects in the pipeline, it’s estimated that 11,065 employees will be needed. This will be primarily in plant operations, along with significant demand for management, engineering, and geology roles.
As AREEA CEO Steve Knott notes, the growth in workforce is crucial before operations can kick off, particularly as “WA remains the powerhouse of Australia’s resources and energy industry. The state is expected to contribute to 40 percent of the national workforce growth over the next five years.”
Among the 37 mining projects in WA, the iron ore sector is projected to require 2,095 workers by the end of 2026. Especially from the Southdown, Western Range, and Lake Giles projects.
The Southdown magnetite project will feature an open pit mine in the Great Southern Region. This mine will boast a deposit stretching approximately 12 kilometers. It will contain over 1.2 billion tonnes of mineral resources, including 388 million tonnes of ore reserves.
The Western Range project, aims for a production capacity of 25 million tonnes of iron ore annually. This is while Lake Giles plans to employ open pit mining techniques to develop the Moonshine and Moonshine North deposits.
Additionally, seven gold projects are projected to require nearly 1,700 new workers by the end of 2027. Projects in copper, nickel, cobalt, and alumina are expected to need at least 2,700 workers.