Coal and jobs in Australia

The main publicly available data on coal industry employment in Australia is collated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Rio Tinto's concern about recruiting mine staff
In an October 2011 address to the Australian Institute of Company Directors in Sydney, Rio Tinto's Chairman Jan du Plessis stated that a major challenge for companies such as Rio Tinto was recruiting new staff.


 * "The demand for skilled labour to meet the requirements of a burgeoning energy and resources sector is already straining HR departments and wage budgets across the country. And all the signs indicate that this problem will become even more acute. The giant wave of investment in the minerals sector cannot be stalled in order to build a pool of skilled workers. At Rio Tinto, we have identified diversity in the workforce as a key tool in boosting the pool of skilled workers, with gender and ethnic diversity helping to broaden the available talent."


 * "I believe that any solution to the skills shortage will need innovative thinking from business and government, working together. Amplifying opportunities for young people aiming for a career in the resources sector to take an apprenticeship, or to undertake other forms of training, will be an essential part of the mix. Maximising training and re-skilling opportunities for those wishing to move into the resources field will be fundamental. Needless to say, wage increases linked to productivity improvements must be at the core of any labour negotiations. Without this principle firmly in place, efficiency gains and improved work practices will be much harder to come by. "


 * "Australian jobs are, of course, paramount, but realistically, skilled migration and temporary skilled migration have to be part of the response, and I'm pleased to acknowledge that the Government has recognised this."

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Australia and coal
 * Arguments used against a ban on new coal mines or a coal phase-out in Australia

External resources

 * Productivity Commission, The Australian Black Coal Industry, Productivity Commission, Final Report, 11 February 1999. (This link is to the umbrella page which has sub-links to the final report, submissions and the government's response to the report).
 * Dr. Bart Lucarelli, Australia's Black Coal Industry: Past Achievements and Future Challenges, Stanford University Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, March 2011. (Pdf)
 * Ralph Hillman, How the government's carbon tax will impact the Australian coal industry and diminish economic growth" Speech to the National Press Club, Canberra, July 6, 2011.
 * Sinclair Davidson and Ashton de Silva, Costing of The Greens’ Economic Policies: Mining, Minerals Council of Australia, July 2011.