The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) says in the space of a year, the state’s mining industry has created an extra 10 000 jobs, which is a 17% year-on-year increase when compared with the same quarterly data of last year.
QRC CE Ian Macfarlane quoted the quarterly labour force data of the Australian Bureau of Standards, stating that the resources industry in Australia creates about one job an hour.
Although Queensland currently has the country’s highest unemployment rate, Macfarlane says that investments in the resources sector are doing their part to create jobs and opportunities, especially in regional areas.
“There is more good news on the horizon for the resources sector, with Queensland’s most valuable export seeing new or reinvigorated projects across the state so far this year, such as the proposed thermal coal Carmichael project by Indian mining company Adani.
“Our industry needs stable and predictable policy to give it the confidence to invest more, export more and ultimately employ more in the sustainable, competitive and safe development of our coal, minerals, petroleum and gas.”