Western Australia continues to lead the global mining industry, with recent investments exceeding $20 billion and commodities accounting for nearly half of the state’s Gross State Product. However, this unprecedented growth coincides with “The Great Resignation” and significant supply chain disruptions, forcing mining companies to find innovative ways to do more with less.
To maintain this momentum, forward-thinking miners are turning to technology—leveraging scalable networks, hosted server solutions, and strategic infrastructure planning—to bridge the labor gap and ensure 24/7 operational resilience in the world’s most attractive mining jurisdiction.
Mining growth stays strong throughout the pandemic in Perth WA
COVID impacted a lot of industries, but WA is once again leading the pack in mining investment. In the 20-21 period, an additional $20.6 billion was invested in this region, and a November 2021 report from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation showed that mining commodities made up a whopping 47% of Western Australia’s Gross State Product (almost $170 billion). This is up from 36% in 2020.
Alongside this, based on metallurgical, geological and policy indicators laid out in the Annual Survey of Mining Companies by the Fraser Institute, WA has been voted as the most ideal destination in the world for mining investment. All of this point to a period of sustained growth for mining in WA.
The mining sector in Perth is feeling the effects of the Great Resignation
Despite these positive growth trends, there remains challenges for the industry. Worldwide, staff recruitment and retention has been a massive issue, and WA is not unaffected. This phenomenon has been coined ‘The Great Resignation,’ which is a term that’s becoming more and more accurate, with mining recruitment agencies experiencing an influx of service requests without the staff to fulfil them.
Thanks to border closures and record low unemployment figures, the candidate pool is significantly reduced, and disruptions to supply chains have caused delays and increased the costs of both materials and services. From a resourcing standpoint, this means mining companies are having to find ways of doing more with less, as well as outsourcing non-core processes, and increasing perks and benefits to staff with the intention of attracting employees.
How businesses can use technology to counter staffing and supply chains challenges
Instead of throwing extra bodies at these challenges, there are opportunities for tier 1-3 miners to leverage technology to address them. Here are some of the mining technology innovations you can use to get the best return of your investment as you resolve staff and supply chain problems.
Scalable networks that cut costs and benefit staff
With a network infrastructure designed and implemented not just to support operational processes, but that’s also agile enough to serve other functions means mining sites can operate much more seamlessly. Fast flowing data allows for instant communication across the job site, quality connections for staff when talking to their families back home, and the ability to stream things like Netflix and sports games as people would at home. This is a great selling point for attracting new staff, and much more affordable than costly commercial satellite TV options. Plus, you can scale your network capabilities up and down as needed as teams expand and contract.
Outsourcing server maintenance with hosted servers
A lot of mine sites hold vital virtual resources on-premises so they can manage their server infrastructure for process control, SCADA and production requirements. IT is not something you’d typically associate with mining, but it’s critical in keeping operations running day and night.
With hosted server solutions, the need for on-site servers is eliminated, along with the maintenance that comes with them. This removes the need for in-house staff in a competitive and costly ICT market, while maintaining and even improving the performance of on-premise networks.
Thanks to reliable, locally hosted servers, mining companies can keep things running at all times in a 100%, 24/7 uptime environment. Any issues or maintenance is instantly resolved, meaning work never has to stop, especially with high quality failover solutions. Plus, everyone can have peace of mind knowing their information is stored in a secure location that must adhere to international security standards.
Keep critical spares handy
This may seem like an obvious point, but there are currently major supply chain issues in WA thanks to the pandemic, with delayed trains and ships stuck outside Shanghai. This makes it vital to have an abundance of critical spares on hand for your data and telephony networks. We’ve witnessed lighting strikes and storm damage cripple mining companies due to a lack of important, inaccessible resources that are usually readily available – so make sure you stock up!
Grow your team with the right mining tech
At Cloud Connect WA, we can help your mining company leverage leading tech to give you a competitive advantage with your recruitment. We’ll design bespoke network solutions, and provide access to our reliable hosted servers to keep you connected when it matters. We can help ensure your staff stays happy and trusts you to cultivate an ideal working environment. Talk to us today to get things moving.
To help your mining operation overcome labor shortages and infrastructure challenges, leverage our certified Lenovo and Cloud Connect partnership to deploy the resilient, enterprise-grade technology needed to sustain your growth in the WA mining boom.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is the Western Australian mining sector performing despite recent global economic shifts?
The sector remains exceptionally strong, with Western Australia recently being voted the most attractive jurisdiction in the world for mining investment. In the 2024-25 period, the industry saw over $33 billion in investment, with mining commodities now making up approximately 47% of WA’s Gross State Product. While some sectors like nickel and lithium have faced market volatility, the iron ore and gold industries continue to reach record-breaking production and employment levels.
2. How can mining companies combat the labor shortages caused by “The Great Resignation”?
Rather than simply trying to hire more people in a shrinking candidate pool, smart mining operations are leveraging technology to bridge the gap. Key strategies include:
- Scalable Networks: Providing enterprise-grade Wi-Fi and entertainment (like high-speed streaming) in crew quarters to improve staff retention and mental health.
- Hosted Servers: Outsourcing server maintenance to local Perth data centers to eliminate the need for specialized on-site ICT staff.
- Automation: Using autonomous haulage and remote monitoring to allow a smaller, highly skilled team to manage larger operations from a central location.
3. Why are “Hosted Servers” becoming a standard for Perth-based mining operations?
Remote mine sites traditionally face high costs and risks associated with maintaining on-premise hardware in harsh conditions. Hosted servers offer a 24/7 uptime environment with local failover solutions, ensuring that critical data for SCADA and production remains accessible even during site-specific disasters like lightning strikes or equipment failure. This shift allows miners to maintain international security standards and data sovereignty without the logistical burden of on-site server rooms.
