£170,000 salary vacancies that only require you to work SIX MONTHS a year – but nobody wants them

JOBS paying up to £170,000 are still unfilled despite only requiring staff for six months to work.

The positions are in Australia’s mining industry and pay five and a half times the national average wage.

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Working in Australian mines can be hard work, with long hours and workers living in isolated locations for six months.

But a lack of offtake has forced Perth-based mining company Mineral Resources to try to hire workers in New Zealand.

The company recruits for a wide range of positions from handymen, engineers, project managers, cooks, cleaners and HR staff at salaries of up to £170,000 per year.

CEO Mike Gray said the company offers “amazing” incentives for Kiwi workers willing to make the switch to work in Australia.

He said “our salaries double, in some instances triple” what is offered in New Zealand.

Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the average full-time wage in the mining industry is around £80,000 a year.

According to a report by consulting firm McKinsey, 86 percent of bosses say they are struggling to retain employees compared to two years ago.

According to the study, mining is not currently an emerging industry for young technical talent.

Issues related to security, the destruction of Indigenous cultural sites, and workplace culture have also had a detrimental impact on the mining sector’s ability to attract talent.

Last year it emerged that companies offering £80,000 starting salaries and £7,000 signing bonuses were still struggling to fill vacancies.

Available positions include Auto Electrician in Queensland which could start with a salary of almost £80,000

The vacancies also include automation engineers, metallurgists and geologists – all with salaries ranging from £57,000 to £73,000.

And some other companies offer a £7,000 sign up bonus and a £3,000 referral bonus.

Steve Knott, Chief Executive Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association, said: “Overwhelmingly, the biggest problem facing mining, oil and gas and supply chain companies is finding the people to do the job.

“This is being driven by a number of factors including the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued high growth across all commodity sectors.

“Market demand has caused base salaries to rise to exceptional levels and companies are also paying huge sign-on, retention and loyalty bonuses to try to attract and retain employees.”