THERE was an increase of more than 50,000 full-time workers in Western Australia for the year to August 2008, with a total of 842,500 full-time employees in the state.
THERE was an increase of more than 50,000 full-time workers in Western Australia for the year to August 2008, with a total of 842,500 full-time employees in the state.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that significant gains were made in the mining industry, which employed 69,600 staff, an increase of 38 per cent on the same time last year, while the construction sector employed 105,800 full-time workers, up 15 per cent.
Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton recorded significant staff increases during the past 12 months, with Rio increasing its full-time staff list from around 6,700 to just more than 8,000.
With a total workforce of more than 16,000, including part-time and contract workers, BHP also increased full-time employee numbers this year, jumping from 7,000 to about 8,500 full-time staff.
Despite the difficulties in financial services, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank, which are both engaged in takeovers, recorded a slight rise in staffing figures.
A spokesperson for CBA said that despite its announced takeover of BankWest, there were no plans to reduce staff numbers within the company.
Westpac, which will take over St George and its 175 WA banking staff, said there would be no cuts to frontline staff, but where duplications of back office roles occur, cuts may apply.
This comes after competitor ANZ announced it was cutting 1,000 jobs nationwide, and although the company could not be reached for comment, this could equate to nearly 100 job losses in WA.
While future job cuts may come from the banking sector, the top 20 companies in terms of employee numbers in the state increased full-time staff numbers.
The top 20 companies, which include Wesfarmers, Woolworths and Telstra, accounted for nearly 12.5 per cent of the total full-time employees in the state, an increase of 0.5 per cent on last year.
In the health sector, St John of God Hospital Subiaco numbers have jumped significantly, with staff figures rising from 1,154 to 1,854 during the past 12 months. The hospital is part of the St John of God Health Care Inc group.
While most key industry employee numbers grew, there were slight drops in the finance and insurance, agriculture, forestry and fishing, and the transport and storage sectors.
