Qld’s resources sector on track for extreme makeover

Thursday, 1 September 2022

Click here for photo of QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane.

Click here for media grabs of QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane.

Click here for latest State of the Sector report.

The face of Queensland’s mining and energy sector is quite literally changing.

That’s the word from the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), which today released new data showing the sector’s workforce will change dramatically over the next three years, as companies accelerate efforts to achieve 30 percent female participation by 2026. 

Against the backdrop of a national jobs and skills summit and major skilled worker shortage across the industry, the QRC’s latest State of the Sector report shows more than three quarters (78%) of the state’s CEOs plan to implement new diversity and inclusion programs over the next 12 months. 

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the intense competition for skilled workers has helped to accelerate company efforts to recruit more women and people from Indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds. 

“Along with other industries, resources companies have been struggling for some time to fill positions because of border restrictions relating to the pandemic and Australia’s historically low unemployment rate right now,” he said. 

“The positive out of this for Queenslanders is that new doors are opening for a wider and more diverse section of our community to get a well-paid job in our minerals and energy sector, where they can contribute to our industry’s transition to a lower emissions future.” 

According to the report, 85 percent of Queensland CEOs believe a more diverse and inclusive workforce improves staff attraction and retention rates, and more than half (62%) believe it boosts business performance, productivity and employee wellbeing. 

More than half (52%) said their organisation was already implementing new initiatives such as cultural awareness programs, paid parental leave above government requirements, mentoring and networking opportunities for women and gender pay gap audits. 

According to the QRC’s most recent diversity and inclusion report, the proportion of women in project management roles has more than doubled over  the past 10 years and now sits at 23 percent. Over the past five years, the number of women in trade and operational roles has increased by over one third (37%) representing  nearly fourteen percent of these positions.