Positions for operations, systems maintenance and administration positions were highly sought after, DBCT public relations advisor Sharon Johnston told ILN.

“When we advertise for operators and administration staff, we get approximately 400 applications per position,” Johnston said.

“Entry level and officer positions in supply and workplace health and safety still attract in excess of 100 applicants.”

Despite this, Johnston said the coal terminal was approximately 10% under its establishment number.

“We are finding that we get much smaller pools of applicants for specialised roles and the mining industry is very competitive,” she said.

“Engineers, planners and human resources [staff] are much harder to come by.

“At the moment we are looking for control systems engineers, maintenance engineers, reliability engineers, conveyor engineers, a senior maintenance planner, area maintenance planners and senior human resources advisors.”

Johnston said the skills shortage had not yet impacted on operations at the terminal but it still presented a challenge.

“If we don’t find a candidate with the right skill sets locally, we then face the issues of the cost of living and availability of housing deterring candidates from outside the area,” she said.

Last year DBCT advertised externally for 80 positions and will be advertising for operators in March.

Johnston said the company had a number of recruitment strategies in place to alleviate the skills shortage.

These include offering graduate and cadetship programs, attending recruitment expos and focusing on workplace planning and career path strategies.

DBCT ships coal from Queensland’s Bowen Basin mines and has an export capacity of 85 million tonnes per annum.