The Boom to Follow the Mining Boom

Conversation at the dinner party had been following a predictable course. We'd discussed our children's schools, Australia's disappointing performance at the London Olympic Games, and the uncertain future of the Australian economy with the end of the mining boom in sight. One guest at the table argued Australia's mining investment was at the expense of expanded manufacturing capacity and risked denying our children future employment. Others nodded in agreement. Two of us at the table work in aged care and gave different views on where our children might find their post-mining boom jobs. With the growing number of older Australians living longer, the number of people working in aged care needs to expand if people near retirement, or those in the generation to follow, will have a reasonable chance of receiving aged care services. Those of us with children in school should be looking past the mining boom to the next employment boom and encourage our children into the caring professions. Indeed, those thinking about a new career would be wise to look beyond the impressive dollars of fly-in, fly-out mining and look to their own local community where aged care workers are increasingly needed.