Last time the workers flew in from all over the country and abroad to earn the big money on Western Australia’s iron ore mines. Companies were offering ridiculous wages and conditions.
But when the mining boom ended, the workers moved on. Five years later and the iron ore game is again ramping up, but poaching the workers needed might not be as easy this time around.
“It’s not being reflected across the broader construction price index which are still very weak, but we are seeing certain skill sets where we are seeing higher wages bid.
“The mistake NSW and Victoria have made is that they assumed Western Australia and Queensland would remain weak for many years, but we’re starting to see recovery in WA and Queensland. “That means it’s going to be tougher all round for NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland to secure skills going forward.”
The rapid turnaround in fortunes in the jobs market shows just how much weight the iron ore heavies have when they pull the trigger on new construction. BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group are building new mines — all at the same time. This will require about 6,000 construction workers
For the rest of this article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-11/bidding-war-begins-as-wa-looks-for-workers-for-new-mining-boom/9959376