Record number of people employed in WA’s resources sector

The number of people employed in Western Australia’s resources sector has hit record levels, putting it hot on the heels of the public sector as the biggest employer in the state.

A minerals and petroleum review released by the WA government on Wednesday found employment in the resources sector rose 6 per cent from the previous financial year to a record-breaking 157,700.

That puts the sector as one of the biggest employers in the state and about 56,000 jobs behind the public sector workforce in 2020-21.

The jobs figures are being driven by resilient sales of iron ore and booming demand for other commodities such as gold, copper, lithium, nickel, and gas, which together totalled sales of $231 billion in 2021-22 – surpassing the previous record the year before of $211 billion.

The McGowan government has partly blamed WA’s roaring resources sector for the state’s staffing struggles as it lured workers from sectors like teaching and police, but Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston said the figures proved the state’s economy was in good shape.

“How anybody could turn strong employment into a bad news story is beyond me, it is unmistakably good news for all West Australians that the mining industry, which is the core element of [the state’s] economy continues to go from strength to strength,” he said.

“It shows that even though the world is in a difficult place and we don’t know exactly what will happen with the global economy, we’ve got a very strong base here in Western Australia to move through these difficult times.”

It is the fourth year in a row commodity sales have hit record highs.

A drop in the average iron ore price from record highs in 2020-21 to US$138.2 in 2021-22 meant sales took a $20 billion hit to $137 billion last financial year.