Alana Mohi said she’s seeing a trend of older people in their 60s and 70s seeking out high-paying mining jobs to combat cost-of-living pressures. (Source: TikTok\/Getty) <\/p>\n
The rising cost of living<\/a> is pushing some older Australians to come out of retirement<\/a> to seek out mining jobs. A FIFO recruitment expert says Aussies in their 60s and even 70s are reaching out to her \u201cin droves\u201d as they re-enter the workforce in search for a high-paying job<\/a> to keep themselves afloat.<\/p>\n Alana Mohi, founder of career consultancy business W1N W1N, told Yahoo Finance she\u2019s noticed the demographic of people searching for mining jobs<\/a> had \u201ccompletely changed\u201d in the last year and a half. She thinks the \u201cshocking trend” will only continue to accelerate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s quite heartbreaking some of the stories that we\u2019re hearing about,\u201d Mohi, who has been working in the industry for 24 years, said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recently got a 69-year-old a job. And it\u2019s like, \u2018Why does a 69-year-old feel that they have to come out of retirement and try to get their foot into a high-paying mining job?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED<\/p>\n Mohi said she\u2019s heard from older Australians<\/a> who are on the verge of losing their houses and have had to move in with their kids, or those deciding between medication and food, who are now trying to secure mining jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot believe that in this ‘lucky country’, we have got our elderly people who\u2019ve done their time, paid their tax, contributed to society, and now they\u2019re in a situation where their options are they need to think outside the box,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The issue isn\u2019t just being seen in the mining industry either. Earlier this year, a Finder survey<\/a> found one in six Australians aged over 43 had either delayed their retirement<\/a> or returned to the workforce in the past two years.<\/p>\n Of those, about half cited the rising cost of living<\/a> as the main driver behind their decision to either postpone retirement or re-enter the workforce.<\/p>\n Separate research from Colonial First State found more than half (57 per cent) of Aussies over 50 couldn\u2019t see themselves achieving a comfortable retirement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com<\/a><\/p>\n Mohi said it was definitely possible for older Australians to secure jobs in the mining industry<\/a>. In fact, she recently helped one secure a $137,000 FIFO job.<\/p>\n The 69-year-old woman secured the operator traineeship job with Rio Tinto, working eight days on and six days off. Although she had no experience in the mining industry<\/a>, she did have transferable relevant experience.<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n \u201cTo score a job like that, an eight in six traineeship with one of the world\u2019s biggest mining companies is just absolutely phenomenal,\u201d she told Yahoo Finance.<\/p>\n Another man was able to land his first mining job as an underground dump truck operator at 61 years old.<\/p>\n Mohi said age wasn’t a barrier as long as you were fit and passed a pre-employment medical check.<\/p>\n A medical exam can involve anything from a spirometry test, which tests your lungs, to an eye test or step test to test your heart rate, along with general physical tests.<\/p>\n \u201c[It\u2019s] just testing to make sure that you are fit and healthy enough so that you can actually go up there and you\u2019re not going to be a liability,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n When it comes to what mining jobs older Aussies may be suited to, Mohi said it will really depend on your previous work experience and what is available in the market at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people might come to us, and they might have a really strong admin background, so that might be the job that they want to get into,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of them might have a really strong hospitality background or retail, and then we would suggest that they go into a utility role.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, some of the more physically demanding roles like drillers offsiders<\/a> may be less suitable. Mohi said these types of jobs can have \u201cvery brutal\u201d medicals, and companies may have age cut-offs and not accept older people due to the physical demands of the job.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019ve got people admin jobs, traineeships, utility roles, driving roles. There\u2019s a lot of talent and experienced older people who have operated road trains and stuff like that,\u201d Mohi said.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies are screaming for road train operators, MC, HC, so they can easily get into those jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Mohi recommended Aussies wanting to get into mining<\/a> have a clear plan in place and know what job is achievable for them to get based on their previous experience.<\/p>\n It was then important to understand what tickets you needed and what ones you didn\u2019t need to waste money on getting.<\/p>\n Mohi said she recommends all applicants have a manual driver\u2019s licence and a white card, along with a clean police certificate.<\/p>\n Get the latest Yahoo Finance news – follow us on Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n