Mining is an important contributor to a strong NSW economy, supporting around 40,000 jobs in Sydney and in mining regions across the state. With long-term projects and global demand for our commodities remaining strong, mining will continue to help build and support economies and communities across regional NSW.
Mining produces the state’s most valuable export commodities - coal, gold and copper. And mining companies operating in NSW pay billions of dollars in mining royalties to the NSW Government that contribute to the funding of essential infrastructure and services, like roads, hospitals, schools and Police.
It takes a lot of different people in a lot of different jobs to keep our mines working. While around 40,000 people are directly employed in mining in NSW, thousands more work in mining-related jobs, including in the more than 7,000 businesses big and small in NSW that are part of the mining supply chain. These businesses support our mining operations by providing a range of goods and services needed to keep our mines operating. This helps to keep local economies growing and local communities flourishing.
Coal is NSW's largest export earner in value terms, worth around $23.1 billion in 2018-19. This is greater than the value of our tourism and education exports combined.
A recent analysis from Coal Services shows coal export volumes from NSW to the rest of the world have doubled since 2001, from 75 million tonnes to over 164 million tonnes according to Coal Services figures for 2018. This is an increase of over 118 percent, reflecting the continued strong demand for our high-quality NSW coal from our trading partners in Asia.
The NSW Minerals Council supports the NSW Government’s ‘Resources for Regions’ Program, which invests in mining-related communities through improvements to important local infrastructure to generate economic activity and productivity.
Projects funded through the Program have included local road infrastructure and water and sewerage systems as well as social infrastructure such as childcare centres.
Funded by the NSW Government, this ongoing commitment recognises the $2 billion in annual royalties generated by mining operations in NSW and the infrastructure that is needed to support businesses and families in mining-related communities in NSW.
Each year the NSW Minerals Council engages an independent economist to survey mining companies operating in NSW to quantify their economic contribution to NSW through jobs, taxes and money spent with local companies supplying our mines and operations.
The survey was first conducted for the 2011-12 financial year and has since been completed annually. The results have demonstrated the strong and stable economic contribution that mining generates for NSW each year.
In the last financial year 2022-23, participating mining companies supported over 31,500 full-time equivalent jobs, an increase of over 600 on the previous year, 1500 more than in the 2020-21 financial year and the highest reported in the more than a decade-long history of the survey.
The survey also found participating companies directly injected $23.6 billion into the NSW economy over the same period, an increase of $6.9 billion (41 percent) in spending compared to the previous year, and the highest level reported since the survey was first undertaken.
The $23.6 billion in direct spending included over $3.4 billion spent on wages and salaries, $14.4 billion for goods and services purchased from almost 7,000 NSW businesses and $5.8 billion in royalties and other taxes to the NSW Government.
2014-2015 Industry Expenditure Report
2015-2016 Industry Expenditure Survey
2016-2017 Industry Expenditure Survey
2017-2018 Industry Expenditure Survey
2018-2019 Industry Expenditure Survey
2019-2020 Industry Expenditure Survey
2020-2021 Industry Expenditure Survey
2021-2022 Industry Expenditure Survey
2022-2023 Industry Expenditure Survey
Australian Bureau of Statistics data from February 2019 shows 40,200 people work in mining or minerals processing in NSW.
Thousands of people are also employed in businesses that supply our mines.
The number of people working specifically at coal mining operations is monitored regularly by Coal Services. According to their reporting, in February 2019 there were just over 22,000 people directly employed working in NSW coal mines.