Employment opportunities would abound in the resources sector in about 5 years.

The National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce predict a need for 36,000 skilled workers to fill up the surge in the resources sector come 2015. A rising demand for low-emission energy sources would fuel the critical need.

The prediction puts agriculture and mining state Queensland at the forefront of the skills shortage. The Sunshine state is expected to experience the shortage beginning next year.

SkillsDMC, the national industry skills council for the infrastructure and resources sector, claims “Resources and civil infrastructure companies in Queensland must focus on upskilling their workforce as mineral exploration and global demand for low-emission energy sources such as coal-seam gas, spikes investment in the state.”

SkillsDMC state regional manager Greg Taylor said, “Global interest in new energy sources has created a burgeoning coal-seam gas industry.”

The Australian Bureau of Statistics show an aging Queensland population. Figures over the five years to June 2000 show the number of persons aged 15-64 years grew 10.3 percent and the number of persons aged 65 years and over increased 13.0 percent.

The SkillsDMC forecast also carried a warning. “The reality is that the state is reaching a point where there may not be enough skilled workers to sustain growth,” the skills group said in a statement.