Community & Business
22 September, 2026
Demand for mining jobs on the rise
New Acland Coal received more than 1,900 expressions of interest for a total of 30 entry level and experienced production operator jobs at New Acland Mine in the past month, bringing the total number of Stage 3 EOIs to over 6,000.
Have you ever pictured yourself in the cab of a mine truck?
With a minesite in close proximity to the towns of Oakey, Dalby and Toowoomba, it's something that hundreds of residents across the Darling Downs have been thinking about.
Data from Google Trends shows that, in the past 5 years, there has been a rise of 350% in searches for 'acland mine jobs' compared with the 5 years prior, while relative number of searches for 'new acland coal mine jobs' increased by 300% over that same period.
These searches are now turning into applications emphasising an appetite among the community for well-paid local jobs.
Local mining operator New Acland Coal reports that over 1,900 expressions of interest have been received in the past month along.
A breakdown of HR statistics shows that 1,900+ expressions of interest included.
- 781 expressions of interest from the Darling Downs.
- 358 expressions from the 4350 postcode (Toowoomba).
- 139 expressions from the 4352 postcode (Highfields, Meringandan, Peranga, Maclagan).
- 67 expressions from the 4401 postcode (Oakey).
- 1,578 expressions from Queensland.
- 37 expressions of interest from mining industry professionals who live near the Mine.
New Acland Coal General Manager Dave O’Dwyer said the Mine is looking to fill more than 30 new roles in the next six months.
“There are approximately a dozen operator roles for experienced mining professionals,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
“The remaining opportunities are for a variety of entry level positions, with no prior mining experience required.
“We’re eager to meet with candidates who live locally and are excited about a career in the mining industry.
“The new to industry roles will play an important role in ensuring safe coal production and delivery, with trainees working both days and nights on site.
“The entry level positions will control some of the biggest machines and drive some of the largest vehicles on site, including the fleet of CAT haul trucks.
Former plumber turned haul truck operator, Ben Cox joined New Acland Coal during the mine’s 2025 new to industry intake and said mining was always an industry he had wanted to get into.
“The mining industry is very different to the outside world, however, the transition has been great,” he said.
“The people at New Acland Coal are very supportive, and the work life balance has been fantastic.
Former contractor turned haul truck operator Anthony Wright joined New Acland Coal during the mine’s 2024 new to industry intake.
Mr Wright says he appreciates living near to work so he can spend time closer to family.
“The equal roster, the increase in home, time at home, I’m not away,” he said.
“All I knew from the outside was what I saw as a contractor nothing from inside the cab.
“It’s a great place to work...especially for an older fella.
“I’m getting near the end of my run and they don’t treat me any different.”
The rise of interest in employment in mining is part of a broader trend across Australia where searches involving the words 'mining', 'jobs' and 'Australia' have increased by 30% over the past year compared with the year before, according to Trends data.
Northern Territory Google users had the highest proportion of searches using these terms, with Western Australia second, and Queensland third.
Google Trends data suggests there may be a small shift away from fly-in, fly-out roles with searches for 'fifo', and 'fifo mining jobs' decreasing by 10 per cent in that time.
There are now more than 330 employees working at New Acland Coal. The company says that 90% of its workforce lives within 50km of its Acland minesite.
Google Trends data is aggregated and anonymous. Search interest is measured on a relative scale and does not represent total search volume.
This content is part of a paid partnership with Google to promote Google Trends.
