Jobs offered with £170k salary for six months’ work – but no-one wants them

JOBS paying up to £170,000 are still unfilled despite them only needing employees to work for six months.

The openings are in the Australian mining industry and pay five and a half times the country’s average wage.

2

Working in Aussie mines can be tough work with long hours and employees are required to live in isolated locations for six months at a time.

But the lack of takers has forced Perth-based mining company Mineral Resources to try to recruit workers in New Zealand.

The company is recruiting for a wide range of roles from trades, engineers, project managers, chefs, cleaners and HR staff with pay up to £170,000 a year.

CEO Mike Grey said the company is offering “amazing” incentives to Kiwi workers willing to make the shift to working in Australia.

He said “our salaries double, in some examples, they triple” what’s on offer in New Zealand.

Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that the mining industry’s average full time earnings are around £80,000 a year.

According to a report by consultants McKinsey, 86 per cent of bosses say they struggle to retain staff compared to two years ago.

Mining is not currently an aspirational industry for young technical talent to join, according to the study.

Problems relating to safety, destruction of indigenous cultural sites, and workplace culture have also adversely affected the mining sector’s ability to attract talent. 

Last year it emerged companies offering £80,000 starting salaries and £7,000 signing bonuses were still struggling to fill roles.

Positions available include auto electricians in Queensland who could start with a salary of nearly £80,000

The job offers also include automation engineers, metallurgists and geologists- all coming with a salary of between £57,000 and £73,000.

And some other companies have resorted to offering a £7,000 sign-on bonus and a £3,000 referral bonus.

Chief Executive Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association Steve Knott said: “Overwhelmingly, the biggest issue for mining, oil and gas and supply chain businesses is getting the people required to do the job.

“This is caused by a range of factors including the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing high levels of growth across all commodity areas.

“Market demand has seen base rates of pay jump at extraordinary levels and companies also paying huge sign-on and retention and loyalty bonuses to try and attract and retain people.”