Source: Straight from the source – August 2025
New South Wales’ resources and energy industry will require just under 3,300 new workers by the end of 2030 – its lowest forecast in more than five years – according to new modelling from the Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association (AREEA).
The Resources and Energy Workforce Forecast: 2025–2030 shows NSW has 11 projects in its five-year pipeline, requiring 3,290 new employees and representing $11.5 billion in investment.
This comes despite extraordinary workforce growth over the past 12 months, with NSW adding 5,000 employees – up 17% – to directly employ 34,300 people in May 2025.
AREEA CEO Steve Knott AM said the figures showed NSW will need to substantially lift the number of projects that are advanced further along its investment pipeline, if it is to get back to its record high watermark of 44,600 direct resources sector workers reached in November 2023.
“NSW has enjoyed remarkable mining sector jobs growth this year and now accounts for about 11% of the national resources workforce, but its forward pipeline is historically thin,” Mr Knott said.
“After 2027, there is just one new project in each of 2028, 2029 and 2030. That is not enough to sustain long-term workforce growth in the sector
“The Narrabri and Vickery coal expansions are major positives, but the continued delay to Narrabri CSG shows how investor confidence can be damaged by poor government policy and vexatious lawfare.”
Between 2025–2027, seven projects – mostly coal, gold and metals – are expected to create about 2,000 new jobs, with Whitehaven’s Narrabri Stage 3 and Vickery expansions accounting for 1,200 of them. Other projects in lead, zinc, silver and tin are modest in workforce requirements.
Nationally, AREEA’s Resources and Energy Workforce Forecast: 2025–2030 identifies 96 major projects across Australia expected to create demand for 22,279 new operating-phase jobs by 2030. While slightly down on recent years, the consistency across successive reports shows Australia remains a highly attractive destination for resources and energy investment.
Western Australia remains the powerhouse with 42 projects worth $81.8 billion requiring almost 9,000 new workers, while Queensland has rebounded strongly with 17 projects needing more than 4,400 employees by 2030.
The full 2025–2030 Workforce Forecast report is available here.
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