Councils pre-interview hundreds of mining staff to work in Australia
March 09 2010 by Liam Clifford
Hundreds of Australian visa holders have been interviewed in preparation for potential vacancies in the Perth mining industry.
Western Australia Local Government Association’s (WALGA) Bill
Mitchell explained that preliminary checks and interviews had been carried out
on people from South Africa, England and New Zealand who are looking to work in
Australia.
The interviews have been carried out in advance of an expected
boom that could lead to large gaps in skills among the Australian citizens' work
pool. The positions are not expected to just be in mining, but also within areas
like planning, surveying and accounting.
Predictions are that the boom is
expected in 2011 and that the natural resources sector could grow faster than in
did in 2007 and 2008. As a result, there is a wealth of opportunity for any
Australian visa holder who is willing to live in Western Australia and work
in the industry.
The WALGA has already appointed around 50 foreign
workers into local government positions. They are all living in Australia on
Subclass 457 temporary work visas.
The Restaurant and Catering Industry
Association also says it expects major skills shortages to be filled with
foreign workers next year. This is as a result of lower skilled workers leaving
for better paid jobs in the mines.
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