RESOURCES UPTURN DRIVES SUPPLIER JOB OPENINGS
HASTINGS Deering is on the hunt to fill 100 job vacancies in Central Queensland in a sign of renewed interest in the resources sector.
The equipment supplier had been one of the companies that slashed workforces heavily in the resources downturn, culling staff from almost 5000 to 3000.
Usually at this time they would only have about 20 vacancies for workers such as diesel fitters, boiler makers and auto electricians.
“This is on the back of an uptick on the resources side,” said Hastings Deering’s general manager of people Vincent Cosgrove. “There’s a renewed confidence in the market, from our customers, who are spending more money.”
But the problem is other resource-linked companies are seeking staff, too. “We’ve been competing for talent across the resources industry,” Mr Cosgrove said.
Mr Cosgrove was reluctant to detail any incentives Hastings Deering would offer to attract staff, other than maintaining they offered attractive salaries. The organisation also plans on taking 50 new apprentices next year.
One hurdle that fellow mining-service operator Mastermyne had highlighted earlier this year was a skills shortage – people who had lost jobs in the last downturn needed more confidence in the outlook before returning to mining-related work.
But Mr Cosgrove said he had not seen such reluctance.
The number of people employed directly in resources had risen 12 per cent to 38,150 in fiscal 2017, according to Queensland Resources Council data. But while wages exploded in the last boom, QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said ABS data indicated mining wages had risen 1.2 per cent and that was the “lowest among the major industry sectors”.
Companies were taking a measured response with commodity prices rising in the past 12 months, he said.
“The number of available positions is considerably less compared to the boom times and is coming off a very low base,” he said.
Another company that has seen a lift in workforce is drilling outfit Mitchell Services, whose staff numbers have almost doubled over the year to 300.
Hastings Deering’s last financial accounts from 2016 indicated an ongoing squeeze with revenues down 15 per cent to $1.6 billion. It posted a loss of $16.1 million, after a $10.1 million profit from a year earlier. The company is owned by Malaysia’s Yayasan Pelaburan Bumiputra.