In another first for the Australian labour market, a new website has launched where mining companies can bid for FIFO workers. From the SMH:
A website, inspired by Australia’s skilled labour shortage, has seen resources companies bidding for workers like eBay bargains this week.
The privately funded FIFObids website, where companies can bid on the anonymous skills profiles of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers was officially launched on Monday after more than 14,000 job hunters and 500 companies registered to enter the online market place. FIFO workers are those who do not reside in the city where they work, but travel there for a several days on, then home again for rest days.
The site, first revealed in April, registers workers anonymously, listing their skills and experience, location, roster and job preferences, minimum hourly rate and availability. Companies search the database to identify matches and bid for the available workers. Workers review bids and if they accept them, their personal details are sent to the company for follow up. Workers use the site for free, whereas companies pay a spotter’s fee based on the accepted hourly rate bid.
The site attracted more than 30,000 unique visits on its first day of trading.
