Summary - AusIMM Professional Workforce Survey 2018
AusIMM recently released its 2018 Workforce Survey data for the Australian mining industry. The survey draws information from its members and this year 1,593 responded out of 13,000 members. The purpose of the survey is to help gain an insight into employment in the mining industry, an industry that along with oil & gas has been hard hit in the past three years.
Unemployment
· The unemployment rate in mining has dropped significantly since 2016 from 14.1% to 7.4% in 2017 down to 2.6% in 2018. Many industry commentators would classify this as essentially a return to full employment.
· Redundancies figures have dropped since 2016 from 16.4%, to 9.1% in 2017 down to 5% in 2018. The 2016 figures would have been affected by company downsizing or closure of operations and support services.
· In 2015, unemployment rates spiked and were nearly triple the national unemployment average, however the 2018 unemployment rates are now well below the national average which are currently relatively low.
Source: AusIMM Professional Workforce Survey 2018, Page 22
· By profession, Geotechnical Engineers were re-engaged earlier than Geoscience which took a little longer. They were getting re-engaged during 2017 with a big improvement in 2018. Mining Engineering, Metallurgists, Chemical and Materials Engineers engagement has improved in 2018 with Management and Environmental disciplines still experiencing higher unemployment figures.
Source: AusIMM Professional Workforce Survey 2018, Page 23
· Unemployment statistics across individual states all reduced; however SA, NT, TAS and VIC have higher industry unemployment rates than NSW, ACT, WA and Qld.
Optimism
· Respondents overall optimism and expectations for opportunities have changed significantly from 2016 (29%) to 2017 (65.3%) and 2018 (70.5%).
· Students indicated they are also more optimistic about their job search prospects post-graduation 2018.
Remuneration
· Averages show that there has not been a significant change in overall remuneration in 2018 compared to 2017. Average gross salary (AUD), as per respondents, for Senior Professional positions was $140K and for Lead Professionals was $198K.
· With low levels of unemployment returning in 2018, labour market pressures may see an upturn in salaries in 2019 and beyond if the demand for various levels of professionals continues.
Salary by Gender
· Average hourly wage was calculated based on respondent’s hours of work. The hourly rate by gender the salary gap between male and female respondents was fairly consistent between 2014 and 2017, however in 2018 the survey showed women’s hourly salaries as higher than men’s at the Senior Level and Lead Professional Level. At Graduate Level and Leadership Level, men’s hourly salaries were higher than women’s.
· AusIMM feels this shift in hourly salary could be the trend towards working to achieve more women in certain roles which has driven demand and increased these salaries.
Source: AusIMM Professional Workforce Survey 2018, Page 25
Diversity
· Male’s had a slightly higher perception of the extent of diversity in the resources industry than females.
· In parallel, women felt their industry and workplace environments were less inclusive than men did.
Professional Development
· Participants were asked to nominate their professional development priorities as provided by AusIMM. The most popular topics included technical descriptions of ore bodies, project education, leadership and finance. Safety and Technological Development were also of significant interest
· The topics of least interest were Collaboration, Human Resources, Industry Advocacy and Diversity & Inclusion
Overall, this year’s respondents were far more positive about the future trajectory of both their personal situation and the industry as a whole. Many members felt assured that they would have increased opportunities over the next 12 months.