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Jobs in Western Australia Predicted to Skyrocket For the past few months, the mining projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia have provided thousands of jobs in Western Australia, but the issue still remains with shortages in skilled workers. There aren’t enough local workers to supply giant companies like BHP Billiton, and this may cripple operations due to worker shortage. It is very important for Western Australia and the rest of the States to consider and adopt a strategy that will allow more immigrants in Australia. Skywest, one of Australia’s premier jet services has struck a deal with BHP Bilton as the company’s sole charter service to BHP’s Area C and Yandi mines in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The airline is set to provide charter service for a period of 12 months, with an option to extend up to 12 months from September of next year. The destination would be from Area C and Yandi 4 times for each week, using the 100 seater F100 Fokker Jets. The regional airline service regards its deal with the mining giant as a very important accomplishment and if the project remains to be successful, Skywest may consider adding more planes and more jobs in Western Australia. Skywest has already made several deals with mining companies in the past, but the Pilbara mining project is what they considered as the biggest within their current roster of dealerships. Skywest Chairman Jeff Chatfield is delighted that they have secured a contract with BHP Billiton Iron Ore. “BHP is a new and important client for us. This will also provide an opportunity for our airlines to fly into Area C and Yandi.” Mr. Chatfield said.
Mining Jobs in WA Set to Boom Small mining companies now have a good reason to celebrate, as the Gillard Government have shown positive signs that it will bring down taxes that have proven to be inconvenient for small miners. The government have argued long and hard whether small miners in WA could pay less taxes compared to multinational companies, like BHP Billiton. Government sources have already said that smaller firms with a profit less than $100 million would be able to pay a lower rate. Aside from this, the capital in which the small mining companies have already invested will be shielded from the full tax. This is similar to the capital gains tax back in the mid-1980’s. This did not affect existing investment until the protection finally came to an end. The protection is meant to last until the time miners are “super profitable”. Most of the small miners are celebrating, since with smaller taxes comes the opportunity to grow and expand, as well as paying higher wages and generating more mining jobs in WA. Big mining companies, like Fortesque and BHP Billiton, have expressed concern with what the small miners are about to face. FMG and the rest of small miners have expressed their opposition in the past because the giant mining companies will pay nothing because of the concessions from past investments, like iron ore and coal. Nevertheless, the tax reduction is set to generate more mining jobs in WA especially in the mining industry. If things go well with the planned tax reductions, small miners will be given the opportunity to expand and grow, thus giving Australia more job opportunities for immigrants planning to live in the State.
BHP's Plan to Boost Jobs in Western Australia More opportunities and jobs in Western Australia are expected to surface as BHP Billiton, one of the giant mining and resource companies in WA, has added a new power station and iron ore mine, costing the company around $1.4 billion as one of its initiatives to expand in The Pilbara. The company has already established the multi-billion dollar project in the region and has promised that more projects are anticipated to happen in last months of 2011. The mining giant has recently completed two major infrastructure projects in the Pilbara mining region. One was the $597 million Yarnima power station and the other was the $822 million Orebody 24 iron ore mine. Products from the Orebody mining station will be transported back to the Newman hub, which is currently fed by Mt. Whaleback, Orebody 18, Orebody 23/25 and the Limebar Wheelarra 4 operations. With these currently operating, jobs in Western Australia are ramping up, hoping to provide more employees for these mining operations. BHP Billiton is currently in a joint venture partnership with Itochu Minerals and Energy, Mitsui-Itochu Iron and Mitsui Iron Ore. The full development costs is expected to be around $822 million, with BHP Billiton’s share at around $698 million. Production will start at the new mines within the first half of 2012, thus more job opportunities in Western Australia are anticipated. Immigrants are to be the first targets for jobs, with mining and construction workers the priority for the project.
Jobs in Western Australia Improving The Economy A recent survey showed that unemployment have fallen down to 5.2% for the month of October this year. The Australian government remains positive that the last months of 2011 will provide an additional boost for the Australian economy, as major projects in the mining/resource sector start kicking off for 2012. Whilst major projects, like in the Pilbara, are still in the planning stage, mining jobs in Western Australia are already ramping up so much that there is currently a shortage of skilled workers within mining companies. Back in September, the unemployment rate was at 5.3%. Western Australia’s unemployment rate went down to 4.3% in October, an improvement compared to 4.2% for September. Western Australia has the lowest unemployment rate amongst the Sates and it is likely to go down even further when multi-billion mining and construction companies, like BHP Billiton and Fortesque, start ramping up for the Pilbara projects, thus offering more lucrative mining jobs in Australia. Total employment rose up from 10,100 to 11,462 million within the month. This is the results of the survey conducted by the Australia Bureau of Statistics. The forecast for October was expected to be at 10,000 while unemployment rate was expected to rise to 5.3%. Skilled workers shortage is a priority that most companies would like to resolve. Operations within giant mining and construction projects need hundreds, if not thousands, of new workers coming in and Western Australia’s local workforce is already at its maximum capacity. Now the WA government is looking to get immigrants from the U.S and Europe as more attractive jobs in Western Australia are offered, through employment visa schemes and others.
Migration vs Jobs in Western Australia We have heard constantly that the current skilled workers shortage is a major problem for most employers and contractors and that WA is having a hard time providing the necessary manpower for its upcoming mining and resource projects. Is it because of more lucrative opportunities outside the country? It is unlikely to be the cause, since Western Australia currently has the lowest unemployment rate and with giant mining companies stating their desire to start more projects in the State, this should be enough reason for the local workforce to stay in Perth. So what exactly is the root of the problem? The answer lies in two things. Firstly, is the desire of most employers to sustain a rapidly growing workforce and a high population growth. With population growth comes more people and more people means production is increased, thus maximizing economic growth. The Net Overseas Migration (NOM) to 180,000 per year. Immigrants are now encouraged to look for jobs in Western Australia; in fact, WA needs a lot of immigrants because of the opportunities offered by giant mining companies like BHP and Fortesque. According to a local forecast made by the Western Australia government, the country will need an extra 2.4 million skilled workers by 2015 and another 5.2 million workers by 2025. These levels cannot be achieved without using a very high migration scheme. Therefore, the WA government is currently targetting several countries, like the U.S and most European countries for migrant workers seeking great jobs in Western Australia. |
