An analysis into over 70 Western Australian resources companies has found the state’s mining, energy and contractor industries have contributed $98.98 billion to the country’s economy in 2021–22.
The analysis also found that the sector directly employed over 69,000 people full-time.
“It’s remarkable to see the efforts of an entire industry over a year boiled down to just the raw numbers. Whichever way you look at the figures, the contribution that our industry makes to both WA and the nation is enormous,” Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia chief executive officer Rebecca Tomkinson said.
“It should also be noted that these results come hot on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic at its height of daily new confirmed cases, and this economic contribution data reflects the immense efforts undertaken by the industry to adapt and operate under unprecedented and challenging conditions.
“The results of this survey capture about 83 per cent of our members’ direct contribution, however, the ‘total’ sector-wide figure to the broader economy is likely to be well in excess of the $99 billion figure.”
The data showed that the resources sector spent over $47 billion in the purchasing of goods and services from local businesses, which went toward supporting over 1000 community organisations.
The sector also paid over $10.7 billion in wages and salaries and employed 19,502 full-time on-site contractors.
“With more than $148 billion of projects under development or proposed in the WA resources sector pipeline, these types of contributions should continue to flow as projects kick off and operate business-as-usual,” Tomkinson said.
“We’re also watching closely as economies around the world increase their uptake of digital technologies and continue their efforts to decarbonise and transition to net zero emissions – a movement which WA in particular stands to enormously benefit from thanks our abundance of critical minerals.”
