Australia’s mining industry has been facing intense competition for talent, despite strong salary satisfaction and wage growth across key roles, according to new research from Hays.
In Hays Salary Guide FY26/27, mining and resources professionals are among the most satisfied with their pay, with 39% ‘very satisfied’ compared to the national average of 18%.
According to Hays, in the past 12 months, several mining roles recorded some of the largest salary increases nationally.
These include mining design drafters in Queensland increasing 125% to $160,000; mining jumbo operators in New South Wales, whose pay rose 95% to $250,000; and mining underground supervisors in Tasmania, who recorded a 90% increase to $190,000.
Other salary increases within the sector include mining design managers and chief drafters (73%) and mining senior design drafters (63%).
Despite salary satisfaction, skills shortages remain widespread, with Hays reporting that 92% of mining and resources organisations experienced talent shortages over the past 12 months.
More than money
Speaking to Mining.com.au, Hays Regional Managing Director Claire Forsyth says the research found that the leading reason mining and resources professionals changed jobs in the last year was a lack of career progression.
“That suggests the issue isn’t pay alone, but how the role fits in professionals’ lives, and whether they can see a clear future for them there long-term,” Forsyth says.
“But even with attractive remuneration packages, employers are still competing for a limited pool of qualified engineers, skilled tradespeople and technical specialists, and there simply are not enough people available to meet demand. What we are seeing is less a pure pay and benefits issue and more a structural skills supply challenge.”
Forsyth adds that if the sector is to address persistent skills shortages, employers need to build clearer career pathways, invest in workforce development, and create opportunities for upskilling and reskilling.
“Salary is only one part of the equation, and compensation today needs to be understood more broadly than base pay alone,” Forsyth says.
According to Hays’ report, more than a quarter (26%) of mining and resources employers attribute skills shortages to insufficient investment in upskilling and reskilling, yet 61% say developing existing employees is their primary strategy for addressing workforce gaps.
Building talent
Forsyth explains that upskilling and reskilling programs require investment and can take time to deliver results.
“In a tight labour market, many employers understandably prioritise filling vacancies quickly through external hiring rather than committing to longer-term workforce development initiatives,” she says.
However, as skills shortages continue within the sector, relying solely on external recruitment is becoming more difficult and expensive.
“There is a growing recognition that organisations need to build talent, as well as buy it,” she says.
Forsyth suggests that internally, businesses should be looking at structured training programs, apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and clearer career pathways that help employees transition into higher demand roles.
“The organisations that invest in workforce development today are likely to be better positioned to address future skills shortages and improve retention in an increasingly competitive market,” she adds.
This news comes after Earlypay (ASX:EPY) CEO James Beeson explained that Australia’s push to rebuild domestic industry potentially risks being undermined by a deepening skills shortage.
In late May 2026, the New South Wales Government introduced the Local Jobs First Commission legislation, which aims to prioritise local workers, suppliers, and small- and medium-sized businesses in government procurement.
Beeson says the reform is good in principle, but Australia does not currently have enough skilled tradespeople coming through the system to support the scale of local industry ambition.
Recent figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research indicate trade apprenticeship starts have been declining for several years. Trade apprenticeship starts were down nearly 10% in the 12 months to September 2025.
Indeed Hiring Lab’s labour market analysis also highlights that apprenticeship course completions are 64% below 2012–13 levels, while around 9,800 temporary skilled visas were granted in 2024–25 in the top 25 apprenticeship occupations.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: iStock
