The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released new figures showing that mining jobs are booming in Australia.
The figures released by the Australian Bureau Of Statistics (ABS) show that the number of mining jobs has increased by more than 60 per cent since the start of the mining boom.
The mining industry is expected to generate more than $10 billion dollars in the next five years, according to the Australian Minerals Council.
The figures show that over the same period, the number that are unemployed have dropped by more like half.
The latest figures show a total of 636,200 mining jobs, including those in the coal industry, have been created.
That’s a huge increase of over 100,000 jobs in just four years.
“The number of people in the mining industry has risen by nearly 100,00,” said ABS statistics manager Alex Hart.
“It’s a significant increase from the previous mining boom when there were fewer than 200,000 people in mining.”
But while the mining sector has been a huge contributor to the economy, unemployment has not been the only cause of the increase in jobs.
“There have been other factors, including a reduction in the number and size of jobs available in Australia, a reduction of the workforce and a shift in the employment market to new locations,” said Mr Hart.ABS data also showed that there are more people in their early twenties than there were in the 1990s.
That has seen a decrease in employment, with fewer people in that age bracket being employed in the past year.
The ABS figures also showed there are now more people working in mining than ever before.
“This reflects a shift away from mining, but also a move towards the construction and manufacturing sectors,” Mr Hart said.
“We have also seen a change in employment and wages trends in the sector.”
There are now 1.4 million jobs in mining, and the Australian mining industry accounts for nearly two thirds of Australia’s economy.
A recent report by the US National Mining Association estimated that there will be 1.3 million jobs for the next 15 years.
Topics:mining,jobs,employment,government-and-politics,business-economics-and/or-finance,jobs-and_employment,jobs/economics,environment,government,australiaFirst posted March 04, 2020 06:56:42Contact Matt HintonMore stories from Australia