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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Michael Parris

Coalmine jobs at 10-year high in NSW

A coal truck driver working near Muswellbrook last year. Picture by Peter Lorimer

NSW coalmines are employing more workers than they have in a decade.

The NSW Minerals Council published Coal Services data on Monday which showed the state had 24,575 "direct" coal jobs in April, the highest number since the last coal boom in 2012.

The Hunter had 14,589 coal jobs in April, the second highest number since June 2014. The region's coal jobs dropped to 12,000 in August 2016.

The figures show how the Hunter industry dominates the sector in NSW, employing 59 per cent of the state's coal workforce.

Hunter coal jobs since September 2014. Source: Coal Services

The Gunnedah region had 3253 coalmining jobs in April, the most in a decade, the western NSW region had 3374 and the southern region 3359.

NSW Minerals Council chief executive officer Stephen Galilee said the industry was showing "ongoing strength".

"The strong performance and contribution of the coal sector reflects the overall growth of the entire mining sector in NSW, including in metals mining," he said.

Mr Galilee a near-record 8000 workers were employed directly in the NSW metals mining sector based on an industry expenditure survey.

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