Its quarterly report for July to September says a revival in major commodities is a positive sign of good things to come for job hunters, with many opportunities arising from the ashes of past restructures and cuts.

This will play in favour of job seekers, making some of them highly coveted by employers.

However, employers will have to act fast or risk losing their hard-sought talent – sometimes interstate or overseas – to their competitors, especially those who can offer long-term job security.

This is particularly true in New South Wales and Western Australia.

“The recruitment process remains lengthy, and this can lead to employers losing out on their preferred candidate who secures another role elsewhere,” the report says.

“Already candidate levels have started to decrease in New South Wales as people move into other industries, and as this continues employers will need to speed up their process.

“[In Western Australia] we are seeing a trend towards contract to permanent recruitment as companies take advantage of the available labour pool to trial a candidate and ensure they are the best fit before offering them a permanent role.

“However, despite the perceived large pool of candidates, roles that are highly specialised and are required for safe production are still relatively skill short.”

Across the nation, job profiles vary.

In NSW, employers still favour contract or temporary roles for the sake of workforce flexibility. It is a similar story in South Australia and Queensland’s Bowen Basin, where employers are focusing on hiring staff to cover peak workloads and hit production targets. 

Nonetheless, Hays says employers in Queensland are prepared to make short-term roles long-term for candidates who have proven themselves. 

Fly-in, fly-out is also a dying trend in pockets of both states, with some SA employers favouring cheaper part-time employees and companies in Queensland’s Mt Isa market shifting to residential job offers.

WA employers are in contrast with their interstate peers, focusing on recruiting for essential and permanent roles, statutory positions and production-focused jobs. 

There are also some new jobs in start-up mines that are recruiting completely new teams. These mostly include small-scale gold projects.

Most wanted skills

Hays predicts the July to September quarter will be a hot season for plant mechanics and boilermakers in NSW, as well as for structural, mechanical and piping work supervisors.

In Queensland, demand exists for dual trade diesel fitters and auto electricians rather than people with only one trade. Commercial electricians are sought to work on fixed plant and commercial projects. Belt splicers and site inducted trades assistants are needed too.

Other roles include engineers, business process coaches, data specialists, maintenance improvement specialists, truck operators, shot firers and drillers.

In SA, engineers and shut-down planners are in demand to boost productivity and cut costs. The state is also facing a shortage in rubber liners as there is no formal local training school for this skillset. Crusher fitters are also in short supply.

In WA, experienced rubber liners, belt splicers and underground electricians are in demand and in short supply.

“A large percentage of WA’s electricians went overseas for work or transferred into other industries during the downturn, which has led to today’s shortage of suitable candidates,” the report says.

Other roles needed include gold field assistants as a result of the improved gold price and higher budgets for exploration.

On where to find the perfect talent, Hays says employers can increasingly hunt for skills on social networks such as LinkedIn. 

Candidates have also become more mindful of their CVs and tend to hire CV writers to help them get past that first barrier during the short-listing process.