Where are the mining jobs in the NT?
What the NT mines produce
The NT Department of Mining and Energy’s production release of 31 August 2026 puts the sector at $6.1 billion in 2025-26, up 40%. It also says lithium sales returned, and that manganese output recovered as GEMCO returned to normal after Cyclone Megan in 2024.
| Commodity | 2025-26 volume | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 13.36 tonnes | $2.67 billion (sales, up 60%) |
| Manganese | 5.05 Mt (production up 174%) | $1.46 billion |
| Bauxite | 13.2 Mt | $918 million |
| Zinc-lead | 638,000 t | $897 million |
Sites: McArthur River, Groote Eylandt, Gove and Tanami
- McArthur River. Glencore says the McArthur River Mine is about 970 km south-east of Darwin.
- Groote Eylandt. GEMCO mines manganese ore in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
- Gove. Rio Tinto’s Operations in Australia and New Zealand page describes the Gove site as a bauxite supplier of more than 50 years.
- Tanami. Newmont’s Tanami page says the underground gold mine runs on a FIFO roster, with its Tanami Expansion 2 extending mine life beyond 2040.
Darwin and the regions: Census counts
There are no NT mine workforce figures in the sources we checked. The nearest sourced figure is the 2021 Census, which counts employed people by where they live and what industry they work in. Mining here means ABS industry B.
| Area (place of residence) | Employed in mining | All employed |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 2,612 | 107,035 |
| Greater Darwin | 1,670 | 74,631 |
| NT Outback | 917 | 31,846 |
| East Arnhem | 486 | 3,441 |
| Katherine | 98 | 6,522 |
| Barkly | 38 | 1,768 |
Greater Darwin has the largest count of mining residents in the table, and East Arnhem has 486 of 3,441 employed residents in mining. Workers who live in other states are not counted in the NT. For how rosters work at remote sites, see our FIFO guide or the FIFO jobs page.
Who are the major mining employers in the NT?
These companies state, on their own websites, that they operate in the Northern Territory. We checked each site on 10 October 2026. It is a starting list from our company directory, not a ranking and not a list of who is hiring.
| Company | Operations stated on its own site | Careers page |
|---|---|---|
| Glencore | McArthur River Mine, an open cut zinc and lead mine about 970 km south-east of Darwin. Concentrate is trucked to the Bing Bong Loading Facility on the Gulf of Carpentaria. | Careers |
| South32 | GEMCO on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, an open-cut strip mine producing high-grade manganese ore. South32 says it owns 60% and Anglo American 40%. | Careers |
| Newmont | Tanami, an underground gold mine and fly-in fly-out operation owned and operated by Newmont since 2002, 540 km north-west of Alice Springs. It says the site has more than 1,800 FIFO personnel. | Careers |
| Rio Tinto | The Gove site in the Northern Territory, which it says has supplied the global aluminium industry with bauxite for more than 50 years. | Careers |
Our company data holds head office locations only, so we do not list a site for Anglo American, BHP, Evolution Mining, Northern Star Resources (head offices: Anglo American, London; BHP, Melbourne; Evolution Mining, Sydney; Northern Star Resources, Perth). We have not verified their NT operations for this guide. A head office is not a mine site.
What do you need to work in an NT mine?
- Risk Management Plan. NT WorkSafe says a mine site must not permit mining activity unless the mine operator has given the regulator a Risk Management Plan certified under regulation 614. It lists uncontrolled gas release, loss of ventilation, inrush of water, ground movement, rock falls, plant fires and heavy vehicle interaction among the risks.
- Induction. We found no NT-wide mining induction requirement in the sources above. The operator runs the induction, so ask what it requires before you pay for any course. Standard 11 is a Queensland coal standard, not an NT one.
- Tickets and licences. Browse the tickets and certificates directory and read how to get into mining for the usual first steps.
How do you apply for a mining job in the NT?
Apply through the employer’s own careers page. These links come from our company data:
- Glencore careers
- South32 careers
- Newmont careers
- Rio Tinto careers
- BHP careers
- Evolution Mining careers
- Northern Star Resources careers
- Anglo American careers
With no experience, start with mining jobs with no experience.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the mining jobs in the NT?
The sourced operations are McArthur River (zinc and lead, about 970 km south-east of Darwin), GEMCO on Groote Eylandt (manganese), Gove (bauxite) and Tanami (gold, 540 km north-west of Alice Springs). The NT Department of Mining and Energy reports gold, manganese, bauxite and zinc-lead as the main commodities in 2025-26.
Are there mining jobs in Darwin?
The mines are not in Darwin, but many mining workers live there. The 2021 Census counted 1,670 employed people in Greater Darwin whose industry of employment was mining, out of 74,631. Newmont says the Tanami FIFO operation has airstrip access from Perth, Darwin, Brisbane and Alice Springs, and Glencore places McArthur River about 970 km south-east of Darwin.
How big is mining in the NT?
The NT Department of Mining and Energy says the minerals sector was worth $6.1 billion in 2025-26, up 40%. Gold sales were $2.67 billion, manganese $1.46 billion, bauxite $918 million and zinc-lead $897 million.
How many people work in mining in the NT?
The 2021 Census counted 2,612 employed people in the NT working in mining, out of 107,035. The ABS counts by place of usual residence, so fly-in fly-out workers who live in other states are counted there, not in the NT. Treat it as a count of NT residents, not of jobs at NT mines.
What do I need to work at an NT mine site?
NT WorkSafe says a mine operator must give the regulator a Risk Management Plan, certified under regulation 614, before any mining activity is carried out. We found no NT-wide induction card in the sources we checked, so ask the operator what it requires before you pay for any course.
Sources
Last updated 10 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below.
- NT Department of Mining and Energy: highest ever mineral production value of $6.1 billion (31 August 2026)
- NT WorkSafe: Mining
- ABS Census 2021 (table G54, industry of employment by place of usual residence), NT data
- Glencore Australia: McArthur River Mine
- South32: GEMCO
- Newmont: Tanami
- Rio Tinto: Operations in Australia and New Zealand
Census counts are employed people aged 15 and over whose industry of employment is mining, by place of usual residence, from the 2021 Census with small random adjustments by the ABS. Production values are from the NT Department of Mining and Energy. Neither is a vacancy count. We do not quote vacancy numbers or salaries on this page.
Where to next
- How to get into mining Entry paths, tickets and first steps.
- FIFO jobs: where to apply Employer careers pages and job boards.
- FIFO jobs from Darwin Flights, mining regions and employers that hire from Darwin.
- FIFO meaning and rosters Fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out work.
- Mining towns Population, operations and flights, sourced.
- Mining jobs with no experience Entry roles and how to apply.
- Mining jobs in WA The neighbouring state, with employers and sourced data.
- Salary calculator Work out pay from award rates.
- Mining tickets and certificates What employers ask for, with providers.
Not sure where to start?
Take the free career quiz to see which mining roles suit you and which tickets they usually ask for.
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