PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining major BHP on Friday announced that it would hire 1 500 additional staff across Australia to support its current workforce and to stimulate the economy.

The miner said that the jobs would be offered as six-month contracts and would cover a range of skills needed in the short term, supporting and bolstering the existing workforce during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The roles will include machinery and production operators, truck and ancillary equipment drivers, excavator operators, diesel mechanics, boilermakers, trades assistants, electricians, cleaners and warehousing roles across BHP’s coal, iron-ore and copper operations in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.

Following the initial six-month contract, BHP will look to offer permanent roles for some of these jobs. BHP will continue to assess this programme and may increase the number of jobs available.

BHP’s acting president for its Minerals Australia division, Edgar Basto, said supporting its people, communities and partners, safely, was the highest priority. 

“As part of BHP’s social distancing measures we are introducing more small teams with critical skills to work dynamically across different shifts.

“The government has said that the resources industry is vital in Australia’s response to the global pandemic. We are stepping up and providing jobs and contracts. Our suppliers, large and small, play a critical role in supporting our operations. It is a tough time for our communities and the economy. We must look out for each other as we manage through this together.”

BHP earlier this week said that while operations at its mine sites continued, the company was taking additional precautionary measures to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmissions among its workforce.

The company’s supply chains were also open, with BHP telling shareholders that it had adequate supplies to operate and maintain critical equipment, but was seeing pockets of disruption for some items, such as disinfectants.

“While markets have been volatile, our products are still in demand, and with the exception of oil, which has come off quite sharply and more recently, copper, commodity prices have held up well. Encouragingly, there is increased activity in China as regions are ramping up production with strong government support,” the miner said.