MINING, ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION

MARKET UPDATE

QUARTER THREE 2011 www.robertwalters.com.au

OVERVIEW
AT A GLANCE MINING, ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION RECRUITMENT UPDATE
Mining and Operations Demand for mining and operations professionals continued to increase in quarter three, with a number of mines seeking to increase production, expand or launch new projects. Similarly to quarter two, the mining and oil and gas sectors led the demand for mining and operations professionals, as a result of the resources projects underway. Organisations continued to face a shortage of professionals with the technical skills and experience required to fill roles, and competition for these professionals was high. In particular, mining and project professionals with experience in resources, particularly coal, were very highly sought-after due to the large amount of green and brownfield projects occurring throughout the country. As a result of the severe skills shortages in the market, salary levels were driven up across the board. Employers therefore had to be more creative and flexible with remuneration and meet market rates rather than rates determined by internal benchmarking. There was also an increase in the number of employers looking to source mining operations professionals from overseas. In particular, organisations sought to target candidates in North America. Construction and Engineering Hiring levels within construction and engineering generally remained stable in quarter three, as a number of organisations tendered for large project work and waited to hear if their tenders were successful or not. A select few engineering consultancies led the hiring activity to support large projects; LNG and coal handling plants also had strong demand for construction and engineering professionals. Candidate shortages continued to impact certain sections of the market. LNG, coal, maritime and transport engineers were highly sought-after due to the resource developments in northern Queensland as well as the infrastructure work occurring around Brisbane. The market also faced a shortage of mechanical superintendents, project engineers with tunnelling experience and alliance managers. In addition, engineers with Registered Professional Engineer Queensland (RPEQ) status were in demand. Those professionals with in demand skill sets were able to command higher salaries in quarter three due to the competition for candidates.

DEMAND FOR MINING AND OPERATIONS PROFESSIONALS CONTINUED TO INCREASE

OUTLOOK FOR QUARTER FOUR

Hiring of mining, operations, engineering and construction professionals is expected to increase in quarter four, as demand continues to rise and more projects move into construction and development phase. TOP TRENDS TO EXPECT All mining, EPCM, construction and contract companies relating to resource operations, services and projects will see the highest levels of hiring, as will engineering consultancies who have won project work Ongoing and worsening skills shortages will continue to drive up salaries, particularly for mining and operations professionals, maritime engineers, RPEQ engineers and engineers with tunnelling experience Candidates will have multiple offers to choose from Employers seeking mining and operations professionals will need to be adaptive, creative and flexible with remuneration, particularly when hiring professionals from competitors who will offer very attractive bonuses to retain staff Employers seeking engineering and construction professionals will favour candidates with experience in the local market The organisations who can implement smooth, professional and quick recruitment processes will secure the top talent; those employers who take a long time will find this negatively affects their reputation in the industry PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL BE MOST IN DEMAND Mining and project professionals with resources experience Maritime engineers Geotechnical engineers Water engineers Tunnels engineers RPEQ engineers

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PERMANENT SALARIES IN Q3 (per annum)

Infrastructure

ABOUT ROBERT WALTERS

Robert Walters is a leading global recruitment consultancy, specialising in the placement of high calibre professionals into permanent, contract and temporary positions at all management levels. In Australia the Group specialises in: Accounting Banking & Finance Human Resources Information Technology Legal Mining & Engineering Risk, Compliance & Audit Sales & Marketing Secretarial & Business Support

Project Manager Project Engineer Structural Engineer Civil Engineer Transport Engineer Traffic Engineer Design Drafter Construction Construction Manager Project Manager Site Manager Contract Manager Estimator General Foreman Project Engineer Site Engineer Contract Administrator Mining & Resources Project Manager Technical Services Manager Principal Mining Engineer Maintenance Manager Senior Mining Engineer Power & Energy Project Manager Project Control Power Systems Engineer Project Engineer

$200 - 400k $150 - 220k $130 - 200k $130 - 200k $130 - 200k $130 - 200k $60 - 90k $180 - 280k $180 - 280k $130 - 240k $100 - 150k $100 - 180k $110 - 130k $120 - 200k $120 - 200k $120 - 160k $200 - 450k $230 - 270k $180 - 230k $220 - 280k $120 - 170k $200 - 250k $180 - 220k $110 - 160k $110 - 150k

CAN WE HELP?
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your recruitment needs. Brisbane Mining and Operations Adam Harris 07 3032 2218 adam.harris@robertwalters.com.au Engineering and Construction Richard Dale 07 3032 2295 richard.dale@robertwalters.com.au

CONTRACT RATES IN Q3 (per hour)

Infrastructure Project Manager Project Engineer Structural Engineer Civil Engineer Design Drafter Construction Construction Manager Project Manager Site Manager Contract Manager Estimator Project Engineer Site Engineer Contract Administrator Mining & Resources Project Manager Principal Mining Engineer Maintenance Manager Senior Mining Engineer Power & Energy Project Manager Project Engineer $100 - 160 $80 - 150 $180 - 350 $130 - 160 $130 - 160 $80 - 100 $100 - 160 $90 - 160 $80 - 150 $80 - 150 $80 - 110 $80 - 150 $80 - 150 $60 - 80 $180 - 200 $80 - 150 $80 - 150 $80 - 150 $35 - 85

NEW MINING, ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION DIVISION LAUNCHED IN PERTH Due to consistent demand Robert Walters has launched a dedicated mining division in Perth to specialise in the recruitment of engineering, design, construction and mining professionals. To discuss your recruitment requirements in this region please contact Adam Beynon on 08 9266 0961 or email adam.beynon@ robertwalters.com.au

www.robertwalters.com.au