Demand in Australia for experienced mining engineers from the UK will remain high in 2013, and for the next five years, despite conflicting reports that the mining and natural resources boom in Australia is slowing down. That is according to TrackMeBack.com, an online jobs community that links UK engineers with leading firms in Australia.
According to TrackMeBack.com and Engineers Australia, all indicators show that the engineering sector in Australia will continue to experience growth, particularly in engineering constructions associated with major public infrastructure projects. The boom in Australia’s mining and natural resources industries, and corresponding construction industry boom, have left employers in Australia with considerable skills shortages for some time.
The mining industry has created approximately 130,000 jobs since 2007 and skilled migration has been the Australian Federal Government’s first line of response to its persistent shortage of engineers, with the UK being a primary source of expertise. Australian born individuals make up only 50.6% of the engineering labour force, with the remainder coming from overseas.
Confidence in the outlook for Australia’s mining boom has recently been dented by a soaring Australian dollar, two-year lows in both iron ore and coal prices and a slower Chinese economy but Caroline Rafferty, General Manager of TrackMeBack.com, said there is still strong demand for engineers in Australia: “Just recently the Australian government predicted the creation of 100,000 new jobs in mining in the next five years, and that’s what we’re hearing from our clients too. Employers are still finding it really difficult to fill engineering roles in Australia because the domestic supply of new engineering graduates hasn’t been able to keep pace with increases in demand for a number of years. We’re still lagging way behind in terms of filling those gaps so working in Australia remains an excellent proposition for experienced UK engineers.”
In both Australia and New Zealand, engineers of all descriptions are high on the list of in demand professions. This means that UK engineers who meet the Australian and New Zealand government’s current criteria – in terms of skills, experience and qualifications – can obtain skilled migrant visas entitling them to live and work permanently in those countries.