QUEENSLAND'S RESOURCES jobs market is outpacing job vacancies in the rest of the state’s economy at a rate of 15 to one, according to analysis from the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the figures in the latest State of the Sector report reinforce the importance of the resources industry, "especially when our agriculture sector is doing it tough".

“If Queenslanders are looking for a job, they need look no further than the resources sector,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“The resources sector is hiring and the majority of the jobs are in regional areas.”

According to the Queensland Major Projects Pipeline Report, around $2 billion of resource projects are currently under construction with a further $19 billion in the pipeline to 2022-23.

“This growing project pipeline has propelled the sector’s labour economic demand,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Queensland job advertisements for resource-related jobs have risen at around fifteen times that of all jobs in the Queensland economy. 

“In the three years to April 2019, the number of job advertisements for mining- related occupations has increased by 94 percent, whereas the number of job advertisements across all industries increased by just 6 percent," he said.

“The most recent jobs figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show Queensland’s trend unemployment rate is now at 6.3 percent.

“In the year to date, the unemployment rate in resources regions has been substantially lower than the national rate.

“The development of Queensland’s resources sector pipeline provides an opportunity to create good, high paying jobs especially for regional Queenslanders.

“That’s why it’s so important that the Government provides a stable and transparent investment framework, including no sudden royalty hikes and a clear set of rules for all projects," Mr Macfarlane said.

“According to the QRC’s latest CEO Sentiment Survey, 53 percent of QRC member CEOs expect to increase the total workforce at their Queensland operations over the next 12 months—with 10 percent planning a substantial increase. Not a single CEO said they planned to reduce their workforce in the coming 12 months.

“But we can’t take these job opportunities for granted. Industry, government and regional communities must all row in the same direction to deliver on those opportunities."

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Queensland resources sector can help put downward pressure on the state’s increasing unemployment rate with more than 1300 vacancies currently advertised.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane said Queensland’s trend unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percent to 6.3 percent –a two-year high – which was disappointing, but the resources sector was offering hundreds of opportunities across the state.

Mr Macfarlane said the QRC was surveying its member company chief executive officers to understand their employment intentions.  QRC will release those findings soon in its quarterly State of the Sector report.

“Already we know unemployment rates in mining regions are well below the State average.  Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday is below 5 percent,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Resource sector employers are currently advertising 1360 positions across Queensland in resources, mining and energy on seek.com.au.”

Mr Macfarlane said 980 of those advertised jobs – or almost three quarters – pay more than $100,000 per annum.

“These are good jobs in a great industry in the best State of Australia,” he said.

The advertised positions by region, noting some roles are advertised in multiple regions, are:

• Mackay and Coalfields 499
• Brisbane 342
• Gladstone and Central Queensland 125
• Western Queensland 105
• Townsville 83
• Mount Isa 82
• Rockhampton and Capricorn Coast 66
• Toowoomba and Darling Downs 50
• Cairns and Far North Queensland 43
• Sunshine Coast 9
• Bundaberg and Wide Bay 8

www.qrc.org.au

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INDUSTRY Super Australia (ISA) is calling for action on unpaid super with a new campaign calling for super to be paid on pay day - as it currently does for federal politicians.

ISA analysis shows one in three working Australians are robbed of close to $6 billion in super each year by dodgy bosses – the equivalent of nearly $2,000 per person – with unpaid super going from bad to worse.

ISA acting chief executive Matthew Linden said while most employers do the right thing, there is a small minority who exploit loopholes in the law and lax regulation to rip off hardworking Australians and rob them of their hard-earned super.

"This is money that should be a in a worker’s account and could make a huge difference to their quality of life at retirement," he said.

"This occurs because super is only required to be paid into a worker’s account quarterly, meaning it is easy for payments to fall through the cracks and for unscrupulous employers to deliberately hang on to the money to undercut their competitors.

"While workers’ might think super has been paid into their account because it appears on their payslip, there is currently no legal requirement that it gets paid into their super account at the same time as their salary is paid.

"The easiest fix is for the Federal Government to change the law and require all employers to pay super on pay day," Mr Linden said.

He said federal politicians had their super paid at the same time as wages "and it’s only right this same protection is extended to all Australians".

ISA’s new advertising campaign highlights this discrepancy.

The campaign goes live on July 22, 2019 and will run across television, social media, digital platforms and search engine marketing.

ISA’s director of marketing is Alana Burnside and the creative agency is The Shannon Company.

Mr Linden said, “One in three Australian workers are having their super stolen by unscrupulous employers. It’s daylight robbery and it’s got to stop.

“The simple fix is to for federal politicians to change the law and make employers pay super at the same time as wages. If it is good enough for our federal politicians it should work that way for all Australians.

“Making super payable on pay day for everyone will make cash flow easier for small business and protect the nest eggs Australians work so hard for – it’s a win-win.”

See the ad here. 

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DUBAI-owned DP World Australia has today announced plans to slash more than 10 percent of its workforce, with 100 more jobs scheduled to be axed at both Melbourne and Sydney container terminals.

The cuts — announced to the media before affected workers or their union had been notified — come in addition to another 47 wharfies due to finish up this week in Melbourne.

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said the timing of the announcement — during protected industrial action at the company’s Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle container terminals — was a clear attempt to threaten workers into accepting cuts to their rights and conditions.

MUA assistant national secretary Warren Smith said DP World sacking workers and destroying families to achieve an industrial outcome was "an extreme act that reflected the unfettered corporate power available to bosses in today’s society".

“From day one DP World started with threats to our families. Management have refused to meet telling wharfies that they’ll get an agreement only if they withdraw their claims and accept the company’s claims, which result in less job security and worse conditions,” Mr Smith said.

“It started with threats to workers income protection insurance, now they are targeting wharfies jobs.”

The MUA slammed DP World for notifying media outlets of the cuts before contacting the affected workers.

“What kind of company tells the media about job cuts before talking to the workers who are directly affected?” Mr Smith said.

“This is corporate bullying and intimidation using the livelihoods of wharfies in an attempt to intimidate the workforce into accepting anything the company wants.

“This situation, where a massive multinational company is showing total contempt for Australian workers and their families, shows once again how broken our country’s workplace laws are.

“Threatening people’s jobs, their livelihoods, and their families well-being should never be considered an acceptable way to achieve an industrial outcome.”

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