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# Mining’s skills problem is unusually specialised
- URL: https://www.benchmarkanalytics.com.au/mining-specialist-skills-shortage-abs/
- Published: 2026-08-29T01:53:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-29T01:53:34.000Z
- Description: New ABS data shows that mining’s workforce problem is not simply a shortage of labour. Among mining businesses experiencing skill shortages, 77.3% say specialist skills or knowledge are required — the highest proportion of any industry.
- Author: Nick Hossack
- Tags: Australian Economy, Mining, ABS, Skills Shortage

New ABS data provides a useful insight into the nature of skills shortages facing Australia’s mining industry.

Among mining businesses that reported experiencing a skills shortage in 2024–25, **77.3 per cent said the shortage reflected a need for specialist skills or knowledge**. That was the highest proportion recorded across the industries surveyed and well above the **57.1 per cent result for all Australian businesses**.

The distinction is important. The ABS measure is not saying that 77 per cent of all mining businesses face a skills shortage. Rather, it shows that **where shortages occur in mining, they are disproportionately concentrated in specialised capabilities**.

That is consistent with the increasingly technical nature of modern mining. Mining businesses make extensive use of engineering, project management, environmental, digital and analytical skills, alongside traditional trades and operational occupations.

The result also helps distinguish mining’s workforce challenge from a general shortage of labour. Specialist expertise is harder to replace quickly through ordinary recruitment because relevant qualifications, experience and industry knowledge can take years to develop.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/de/5d/de5d1f33-5b16-4880-95ff-5d52cee4cac5/content/images/2026/08/mining_specialist_skill_shortages_social.png)