Australia Creates 22,000 Jobs But Drowns in Red Tape

A new forecast reveals a job boom is on the horizon for Australia’s resources sector, but will have to balance responsible regulation with the need for progress.

Even as the country secures itself as a global player in tech, Australia’s economic engine continues to lay in commodities. For the foreseeable future, much of our prosperity will come from the ground. The Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA) has released their latest Workforce Forecast running from 2025 to 2030, and it’s a clear window of opportunity only partially obscured by bureaucracy.

The report identifies a pipeline of 96 new and expanding resources projects valued at a staggering $129.5 billion. That investment is projected to create 22,279 new operational jobs over the next five years. That’s a sold-out Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, with every single seat filled by a new, highly-paid worker in the mining and energy sector. 

But the good news doesn’t stop at hard hats and hi-vis, the ripple effect of nearly 23,000 new high-wage jobs will touch every corner of the economy. There will be roles for geologists, skilled trades like heavy diesel fitters, as well as thousands of positions in management and administration.

A State-By-State Jobs Bonanza

While Western Australia and Queensland will dominate the headlines, the forecast reveals distinct, diverging paths for the other states and territories, creating a complex national picture of wins.

• Western Australia: remains the undisputed heavyweight, with 42 projects in the pipeline set to create 8,924 new jobs. Its projects, valued at $81.8 billion, account for nearly two-thirds of the nation’s total projected investment. However, the report delivers a crucial warning that WA’s investment pipeline has dropped to its lowest level in over four years, signaling a potential slowdown for the first time in half a decade.
• Queensland: The Sunshine State is bucking the national trend, with its project pipeline surging from 11 projects last year to 17 this year, projected to create 4,412 new jobs. This growth has allowed Queensland to reclaim its place as the nation’s second most attractive mining destination.
  However AREEA explicitly warns that the state’s “punitive coal royalty regime” is hurting existing mines, creating a significant risk that any new job creation could be offset by losses at other coal sites.
• New South Wales: a fading giant, NSW’s state pipeline has seen the most dramatic decline in the country, dropping from 19 projects last year to just 11 this year. Consequently, its forecast for new jobs has been slashed from 5,412 to 3,290. The report notes this is the state’s weakest outlook in more than five years, driven by a historically low number of projects in the planning stages for the back end of the decade.
  While a handful of major coal projects will drive around 2,000 jobs in the short term, the long-term forecast suggests NSW is losing its competitive edge.
• South Australia: has a “very positive outlook,” with 9 projects expected to demand 2,670 new employees by 2028. This would grow SA’s resources workforce by another 15% and push it to record levels, led by two major iron ore projects .
• Northern Territory: the NT has a “strong pipeline of growth projects,” with 8 new mining developments set to create around 1,550 jobs by 2028 . This surge, driven by gold, copper, and rare earths projects, is forecast to bring the Territory’s workforce back to its highest levels ever.
• Victoria: the state’s resources sector has seen its workforce shrink by a staggering 35% over the past year. While a handful of rare earths and mineral sands projects are expected to create around 1,000 new jobs, this represents only a slight recovery.
• Tasmania: The outlook here is even more subdued. Just two projects are expected to come online, with only one, the Renison Expansion Project, creating new roles, amounting to a modest 78 new employees by 2029.