A modelling scheme carried out by Concept Economics, an economic analysis group, shows that 23,510 direct jobs will be lost across Australia’s minerals industry by 2020 and 66,480 by 2030 as a result of the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). The 2020 figure represents an 11% drop in overall employment in the minerals sector, while the 2030 result is a 24% decrease. The report, The employment effects in the Australian Mineral Industry from the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in Australia, was conducted by Dr Brian Fisher, the former Executive Director of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics. It is the first detailed analysis of the impact of the emissions scheme on employment in the Australian minerals sector. (more…)