MISC report identifies skill shortages
Jun 29, 2009
Resources Industry Heartbeat Project Report
Conducted by The Mining Industry Skills Centre
A mining employment report says major changes are required if the industry is to cope with the loss of skilled workers due to retirement.
The Mining Industry Skills Centre report predicts 20 per cent of boilermakers, auto electricians, electrical trades and fitter mechanics are over the age of 50.
It says the mining industry will experience a more pronounced skills shortage as large parts of the workforce will begin to retire from 2012.
Open cut examiners and training coordinators are said to be the occupations at biggest risk from retirement.
The centre's Jenny Neumann says the mining industry needs to act quickly to compensate for an imbalance in its workforce.
"We're unlikely to be able to remove skills shortages completely from the industry, particularly in trades and some of those other roles like mining engineers and geologists," she said.
"Instead, what we need to do is maximise our supply of those skills however we can.
"Also, we have to look at the mining methodologies to work out where we can become more efficient and decrease our need for some of these skills."
