Sourcing specialised skilled labour in the global arena : a change in the way we view work in Australia?

This article presents a newly developed research agenda to explore the increased needs of resource-rich regions in terms of sourcing industry-specific skilled labour. The article begins with a conceptual framework that maps the human resource management issues that are being magnified by the resources boom in Australia. The paper focuses on one of the five key thematic areas encompassed within the framework—labour global mobility. The difficulty in sourcing specialised skilled labour at this time indicates a major paradigm shift that is challenging long-held beliefs and constructs related to the nature of work in Australia with specialised skilled migrant workers actively sourced to fill positions in resources firms. After reviewing the international literature, we explore labour-sourcing practices as a response to dealing with skill shortages in the labour demand and supply of Australia’s resource-rich regions. This is followed by a discussion on how these practices have progressed in regional Queensland and Western Australia.