Mining through the talent pool of potential fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) workers

This article reports on findings from an exploratory study which examined the qualifications, skills, and experience of local job seekers in Tropical North Queensland to ascertain their potential as FIFO workers. An online survey was conducted, eliciting 213 responses from potential FIFO workers, identifying their interest in, capacity, and capability to undertake FIFO work. The majority of respondents indicated that not only were they interested in FIFO work, but that they constituted an untapped talent pool of potential FIFO workers with substantial experience and (or) limited qualifications. The results indicated that this supply of potential FIFO labour, with some upskilling, could go a long way in contributing to the growing demand for skilled labour in the resource sector. The interest of these potential workers has implications for the mining industry, government departments, employment agencies, communities, and labour markets.