There’s a ‘jobs boom’ in Western Australia with almost 136,000 people now employed in the state’s resources sector, the highest on record.
Employment in Western Australia’s mining industry reached a new peak in 2024, with 135,693 on-site full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, marking eight consecutive years of employment growth.
Separately there were 4,263 on-site FTE positions in the exploration sector and a further 7,870 in the state’s petroleum industry. The major contributors to on-site mining employment are iron ore, gold, lithium, nickel, as well as alumina and bauxite.
Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael says Western Australia’s resources sector continues to set new benchmarks, with record employment and strong sales driving economic growth across the state.
“As the global economy shifts, WA’s resources sector is well placed to support the energy transition, critical minerals development, and ongoing exploration,” Michael says.
More than $32 billion was invested in Western Australia’s resources sector in the calendar year 2024, similar to the previous year, reflecting sustained industry confidence.
There was also $48 billion in mining, petroleum and associated infrastructure projects committed and under construction, reinforcing the State’s strong investment pipeline.
This result is on the back of strong mineral and petroleum sales totalling $223 billion.
Iron ore is by far the leader with $128 billion in sales, the third highest result on record, driven by strong prices and near-record volumes.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) generated a stellar $36 billion in sales, albeit down on recent years amid weaker market conditions.
Gold hit a record $24 billion in sales amid global uncertainty, despite a slight dip in production.
Alumina recorded $7.4 billion in sales, its highest value since 2018-19, supported by strong prices.
Lithium sales were down, totalling $5 billion and nickel $3.2 billion, amid weaker global markets for battery minerals.
Exploration activity remained solid, with near-record mineral exploration expenditure of $2.5 billion, focused on gold, iron ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, and other minerals including lithium and rare earths.
Premier Roger Cook says the record jobs growth in the state’s mining sector shows there is no better place in the world to get a quality job, with iron ore, gold, LNG and alumina all big contributors to WA’s jobs boom.
“Robust exploration spending across key commodities like gold, lithium and rare earths reinforces Western Australia’s position as a global minerals leader,” the Premier says.
“These figures reflect the industry’s continued confidence in WA and its commitment to long-term growth.”
Write to Adam Orlando at Mining.com.au
Images: Stock
