2016 Statistics shows WA’s resources industry is still leading the nation.
| Date: | Tuesday, 04 April 2017 |
|---|
The improvement in global commodity markets has had a positive effect on Western Australia’s mineral and petroleum industry with several major commodities recording an increase in sales value for 2016 including iron ore, gold and several petroleum products.
The Department of Mines and Petroleum has released the 2016 resources data and accompanying reviews. Available on DMP's website, the 2016 Mineral and Petroleum industry data highlights the key movements in WA's major commodities over the year. This year’s release also includes an expanded look at some of the industry's key activity indicators including employment, investment, exploration and royalties.
DMP's General Manager, Policy and Coordination Richard Borozdin said the statistics showed WA's resources industry was still leading the nation despite a downturn in global commodity prices.
"Employment numbers have trended downwards since its peak in 2013, however mining employment is still much higher than it was 10 years ago," he said.
"The mining industry has experienced substantial growth over the years and in particular the iron ore and gold sectors have generated substantial employment opportunities within WA."
"The gold sector has gone against the employment trend for the second year in a row, with a 20 per cent increase in direct employees."
As of March 2017, Western Australia had an estimated $101 billion worth of resource projects under construction or in the committed stage of development, including Woodside’s Persephone1 gas project ($1.2b), Dacian’s Mt Morgans Gold project ($220m), and Tianqi Lithium’s lithium processing plant ($400m).
"There is another $52 billion of planned or possible projects in the coming years, which represents a 12 per cent increase since September last year.” Mr Borozdin said.
The complete 2016 statistics can be found on the Latest Statistic Relase page.
