Hi again!
Great to see so many of you (9,210 altogether!) visiting us at our Opportunities Overseas Expos in London and Manchester last month, and at our Energy, Mining & Engineering expo in Aberdeen. There’s lots of great talent out there, and many of you who came along are now going through the recruitment process and getting ready for the next exciting step of your journey.
Next up, we’ll be bringing employers from NZ, Australia and Peru to Canada for the Energy, Mining & Engineering International Jobs Expo in May, so what better time to look at the areas of skill shortage, and find out just who’s in demand at the moment.
The Aussie mining boom
Everyone’s heard about the mining boom in Aussie, so it’s no surprise to find that main areas of skill shortage are connected to the mining and oil & gas sector. With a whopping US$229 billion (AU$232 billion) of committed gas projects in the pipeline, Australia has a critical shortage of experienced engineers, tradespeople and construction workers to staff up its raft of mega projects.
Calling all Senior Engineers!
Engineering shortages are biting especially hard, as major mining projects, including the massive AU$43 billion Gorgon project, exhaust the local labour supply. Australia’s national engineering body, Engineers Australia, has predicted that the country’s engineering workforce will need to double just to keep pace with the rapid development, so if you have engineering skills – especially at a senior level – you’ll be very much in demand!
Some of the roles that Aussie employers are recruiting for in Canada include well, reservoir & petroleum engineers; principal, civil, mechanical & process engineers; drilling supervisors; hydrologists; project directors and managers; health & safety managers and engineering managers.
Other energy/infrastructure specialists in demand include transmission line practitioners, waste water and water planning engineers, site supervisors, environmental advisors and senior planners.
Skill shortages in New Zealand
In New Zealand, the skills shortages may not be quite as intense, but the country’s growing energy sector is still short of skilled professionals, with mining specialists, engineers and geologists high on the list of those most in demand. The Christchurch rebuild is also putting the squeeze on the labour market, with engineers and skilled trades already in demand – a shortfall of up to 30,000 workers has already been forecast during the 10-20 year rebuild period.
Some of the roles that NZ employers are recruiting for at the Canada expos include mining, petroleum, geotechnical & field engineers; technical services and production superintendents; and exploration & mine geologists. Within the energy/power sector, there are roles for project engineers & managers, power system analysts, electrical network engineers, electricity asset managers, engineering analysts and substation design engineers.
Come & see us in Canada
So, if you’re in Canada, and you’re working in the oil & gas, energy, engineering or infrastructure sectors, come along and check out the jobs available in Oz & NZ (we’ll also have some jobs in Peru – again, mining-related roles including heavy diesel mechanics and truck operators!).
We’ll be touching down in the three Canadian cities in 2012: Calgary (5-6 May) at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre; Vancouver (9 May) at the Hyatt Regency and Edmonton (12-13 May) at the Mayfield Inn & Suites.
Hope to see you there!