THE Australian mining industry needs 58,000 more workers by 2020 to maintain the fierce production levels of the mining boom, a report says.
A Deloitte research report has found the resources industry faces a growing shortage of labour and can’t replace retiring workers fast enough, with the floods in Queensland likely to heighten the short-term impact, experts say.

“It is really that middle core of good managers that are needed to keep these operations going and developing,” Deloitte Australian mining leader Tim Richards said.”There are a lot of people in mining that have been there for a long time and there are a lot at the young end that were attracted by the recent boom.”

But Mr Richards said it was the 30-to-50-year-old generation that was crucial to the industry’s longevity.
Intensifying pressure on resources is the flood clean-up under way in Queensland, where 85 per cent of that state’s coal mines have had to halt production or operate under restrictions.And Deloitte partner Gary Doran explained the issue would be a lack of manpower and contractors.

“The mining companies are all going to be demanding equipment to dewater their pits and contractors, so they will be increasing the demand for workers.”
Mr Richards said that solutions such as upskilling, training and fly-in, fly-out work would not be enough to fill the gap in the long term.
“Even with all of those things, we are going to have to look at which other part of the world we can get workers from,” he said.
“To find 58,000 workers by 2020, I would be surprised if we’ve got them here, even if they come from other industries.”

Deloitte’s report, Tracking the Trends 2011, also highlights a groundswell of regulatory activity around the world in 2010.
Regulatory change was widely debated in Australia last year with no result, but other countries have quietly imposed new levies including Chile, South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania.

“One of the issues going forward will be the increased requirements by government so that this doesn’t happen again,” Mr Doran said.

Source:news.com.au

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