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PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The number of mining and resource vacancies in Australia declined by 17.6% during the quarter ended May, recruitment specialist DFP Recruitment has found in its latest job index.
The index for permanent roles in the resource sector slipped to 45.35, a 16.8% fall over the last three months and a 43.8% decline year-on-year. The temporary and contract index also fell 21.9% over the last 12 months with 18.5% of that fall being recorded over the last quarter, DFP said on Tuesday.
The recruitment agency noted that the current commodity prices, coupled with pipeline and current projects, as well as the cost of doing business within the resources sector, has had a negative impact on current employment figures.
For the first time since the index was launched, the number of resource vacancies in Western Australia was below that of Queensland.
The number of vacancies in Western Australia fell by 8.6% in May, and by 26.6% over the quarter ended May, while vacancies in Queensland fell by 1.2% by the end of May, and by 2% during the quarter.
DFP noted that the job losses reported in Western Australia’s iron-ore sector were most likely responsible for closing the divide between Western Australia and Queensland.
Of the other states, New South Wales vacancies increased by 10.7% at the end of May, despite restrictions on new coal seam gas production licences.