While reading a recent informative article on the Economic Contribution of the Resources Sector in Queensland, I was struck by a chart that shows employment in Queensland’s mining sector has more than doubled since 2003 to around 50,000 employed persons. I’ve reproduced the chart below with slightly more recent data.

Using expenditure data from mining companies, the authors were able to trace the impacts of the mining boom through to particular regions. The Brisbane local government area (LGA) is the major beneficiary, largely through spending by mining companies on the supply chain. The authors note:

The results show that the resources industry has the highest overall impact on output and jobs in the Brisbane LGA, indicating that much of the stimulus flows through to south-east Queensland. There were substantial additions to the business supply chain in many LGAs, including Brisbane ($8.4 billion), Mackay ($1.4 billion), Gladstone ($0.65 billion), Mt Isa ($0.69 billion), and Townsville ($0.42 billion). The largest total additions to Gross regional Product were made in the following LGAs: Brisbane ($24.1 billion), Mackay ($5.0 billion), Gladstone ($2.5 billion), Mt Isa ($2.2 billion), Central Highlands ($2.1 billion), and Isaac ($2.0 billion).