Australian mines desperate for skilled workers

Cecilia Jamasmie | February 13, 2012 | 2:30 pm Education Australia Europe 

Mining companies in Australia are considering to fly foreign workers directly to their operations as the country, particularly the north-east state of Queensland, struggles to fill massive job shortages, reports local media outlet Adelaide Now.

Since the government launched the Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMA) in spring last year, however, a limited number of mining companies have applied for a portion of the budget set to tackle the lack of skilled labour by helping miners hire skilled workers from overseas.

EMA is a special type of labour contracts to address skill vacancies in major resource projects with capital expenditure greater than $2 billion and plans to hire an overall workforce of more than 1500 people.

Nine months after the plan was announced, only one company has applied for an EMA and the Regional Migration Agreement scheme, announced at the same time, is yet to publish the guidelines under which regional communities can apply to hire foreign workers, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

The West Australian Liberal senator Michaelia Cash said concerns had been raised by mining companies that the threshold for resource projects to qualify for the agreements had been set too high, and they wanted it lowered to 1000 workers. She also queried the role of trade unions in the approval process.

Several mining companies are currently in advanced negotiations with the Federal Government of South Australia, informed Adelaide Now, to replace the individual 457 visas with bulk temporary migration agreements to bring overseas labour into outback mines.

Kruno Kukoc, first assistant Secretary of Migration and Visa Policy, insists that is all about “getting the balance right for Australia’s future,” as first stated in a conference about immigration programs in September last year.

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11 Comments

  • b bergman

    The government will never get this passed as the unions will fight it, and the law of the
    country not alowing any one over 50 to work in the country I been down the road

  • How2go

    I hope this gets done. I will fly there tomorrow. I have a mining engineering degree from Columbia U., and a grad degree from Harvard.
    Let’s go!
    Dan, from Boston,USA

  • How2go

    Ready and able to fly now. Feel free to contact me when this happens!
    Dan, Boston,USA

    B.S., Columbia U., Mining Engineering
    Graduate Finance Certificate, Harvard

    [email protected]

    • J. Thomas

      Good luck seeing as thats not a real mining school and wont be recognized as such internationally

      Here is a list af accredited mining schools in the U.S. —->http://www.msha.gov/siteinf2.htm

  • Bob

    I would be interested to know where the Media find such rubbish information
    “Australian mines desperate for skilled workers”
    Headline should read Skilled Australian workers desperate to get into Australian mines
    Google it.

  • Kamila

    I’m with Bob on this 1, total rubbish, Skilled workers are desperate to get into the mining division and even relocate families, but the Government prefers to NOT HELP Aust. Tax Payers and go look Abroad where they can pay with Sweat Shop Wages. Im Disgusted the “Media” has so little knowledge & intelligence. Like Bob said, Google it!!

  • Andreas

    am a chemist have a phD , have some training in chemical engineering, have experience. in project management.have applied for low level mining laboratory jobs… with no success..always the same answer…no experience in the industry no chance….am willing and able to learn but the industry is not willing to educate so they rather hire cheap workers from overseas

  • Apguild2007

    people are desperate to get in. i have over 200 rejections because i have no mine site experience. title should read mines only want experienced workers. not interested in training australians

  • Playersdad

    what BS. the companies are feeding the Aussie government if the mines have a proposed life of 50 or 100 years it makes no sense not training people from Australia.I can understand where a lot people are coming from they apply and cannot get a job in the industry because they have no experience, the same is happening here in Canada if labour is aloud to bring in overseas workers labour rates decrease and locals will never be trained, as for the engineers from the U.S. there is also work shortage in US mining why can they not get work in their country or Canada. when I first started in mining in the 70’s all Canadian companies trained there own people they all had stope school or apprentice ships, I say the unions and the Aussie peoplefight for their rights because once the doors are open you will never be able to close them.

  • MeMet

    Agree….To track down the Assessment Levels for your visa for student application, pair your passport kind with the visa for student subclass for the college education sector of the principal course..

  • Mark

    If the Mining Industry is so desperate for skilled workers, then why are my applications being ignored?
    I’ve tried to hit most Companies from all angles but to no avail.
    I’ll even take on a mundane/subordinate position, willing to work my way up the corporate ladder, but still no one has replied in a positive manner.
    Mark (Registered Qld. Builder)

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