Papua New Guinea’s resources boom: 10 workforce challenges businesses need to prepare for

The headline issue for employers is the sheer volume of workers required. TotalEnergies has indicated that the development phase of Papua LNG (expected to run for approximately four years following the final investment decision (FID)) will require around 8,000 workers; with earlier project guidance estimating peak construction demand could reach 10,000–12,000 jobs. 

The challenge is also one of timing – recruitment for workforce will not be evenly distributed across the project lifecycle. Demand will intensify as construction ramps up, creating periods when multiple employers and contractors are competing for the same people and skills at the same time.

Key demand drivers between 2026 and 2028 include:
 

• The construction ramp-up of Papua LNG following FID 
   
• Growth in the engineering, construction, logistics and specialist services required to support major resource projects 

For employers, this concentrated demand curve makes early workforce planning critical. Businesses that identify their future skills requirements, build talent pipelines and establish recruitment and mobilisation strategies ahead of peak construction will be better positioned to secure scarce talent before competition intensifies.
 

Mining is a major employer and economic driver in Papua New Guinea, with established operations already drawing on many of the same engineers, tradespeople, technical specialists and project professionals required by new oil and gas developments. As investment accelerates across both sectors, competition for this shared pool of skilled talent will only intensify.

The PNG Chamber of Resources and Energy reports that the resources sector directly employs more than 20,000 people, with nearly 30,000 more employed through landowner businesses and other companies that depend on the industry. The sector also accounts for more than a quarter of PNG’s economic output, highlighting just how deeply established resource activity already is within the labour market.

So how can PNG’s employers effectively attract and retain talent for their projects? In an increasingly competitive labour market, the projects that plan and engage their workforce earliest will be best positioned to secure the people they need. This means securing talent well before new projects enter construction, identifying critical skills early, strengthening retention and succession strategies, investing in local training and graduate pipelines, and sourcing transferable talent from adjacent industries.

PNG faces a structural skills shortage in formal-sector technical roles, with many major projects leaning on offshore hiring where local capability does not yet exist, particularly within engineering, procurement and construction roles. While domestic education and training systems are active, Papua New Guinea’s new generation of technical talent will still take years to come to fruition.

For businesses, this means training cannot be the only solution. Employers need to map critical technical competencies well ahead of project demand, retain experienced PNG nationals, identify transferrable skills from mining and heavy industry, and selectively mobilise international specialists where capability gaps remain.

Major organisations across PNG are investing heavily in developing local capability, with project operators increasingly formalising these efforts through national content commitments. TotalEnergies, for example, has committed to supporting skills development through trade scholarships, offering up to 200 scholarships annually for Papua New Guineans over several years, alongside partnerships supporting national training programs.

More broadly, the Papua LNG national content framework places sustainable workforce development at its core, with coordinated training, recruitment and skills development designed to strengthen PNG’s technical workforce over the long term.

Upskilling and external recruitment are not competing strategies. Developing local talent builds long-term national capability, while targeted recruitment provides access to the experienced engineers, technical specialists and skilled trades that training programmes cannot produce quickly enough to meet immediate project demand. For employers, the strongest resourcing strategies combine a sustainable homegrown talent pipeline with specialist recruitment that fills critical capability gaps today, ensuring projects can keep moving while the next generation of PNG talent develops.
 

As Papua New Guinea’s LNG sector expands alongside continued mining investment, demand is intensifying for the technical, engineering and project professionals needed to take major developments from construction through commissioning and into operations. 

Between 2026 and 2028, particularly high-demand roles are likely to include:

• Engineers across civil, mechanical, electrical and process disciplines
• Skilled tradespeople and technicians across construction, commissioning, maintenance and operations
• Project managers, planners, schedulers and project controls professionals
• Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) specialists experienced in high-risk operating environments
• Logistics, procurement and supply chain professionals capable of supporting complex and remote projects

For employers, the challenge is not simply filling vacancies – but identifying the capabilities critical to project delivery and securing them before demand peaks. A shortage of specialist engineers, commissioning technicians or project controls professionals can create bottlenecks that extend far beyond an individual vacancy, potentially delaying mobilisation, construction, commissioning and operational readiness.

This makes workforce prioritisation essential. Rather than treating every vacancy equally, employers should identify scarce and business-critical disciplines early, map available talent and build contingency pipelines well ahead of project demand. Engaging specialist recruitment partners early can provide greater visibility of talent availability and help secure critical skills before competition intensifies.

Project-driven workforce demand does not always justify permanent headcount. As LNG projects move through engineering, construction, commissioning and operations, workforce requirements can change significantly, making flexible resourcing an important complement to permanent recruitment. Contractor recruitment and managed payroll models allow employers to rapidly scale specialist capability as project demand rises, then adjust workforce levels as requirements change.

Choosing the right model depends on the duration, complexity and risk profile of the work:
 

• Permanent recruitment suits ongoing operational and business-critical roles requiring long-term capability.
• Contractor engagement suits defined project scopes, specialist technical requirements and periods of peak demand.
• Managed payroll supports organisations that need to engage and mobilise workers without maintaining extensive in-country HR and payroll infrastructure.

Aligning the engagement model with each phase of the project can provide greater workforce flexibility, control employment costs and reduce the risk of carrying unnecessary permanent headcount once peak project activity has passed.
 

Hiring in PNG carries significant regulatory obligations, and managing them without established in-country HR, payroll and mobilisation capability can add considerable complexity to project delivery. Employers must navigate wage requirements under PNG employment legislation alongside immigration, taxation and national content obligations. The introduction of PNG’s Petroleum National Content Policy also places greater emphasis on local participation across employment, procurement, skills development and community investment.

For employers, key workforce compliance considerations include:
 

• Meeting current minimum wage requirements and scheduled increases in 2027 and 2028
• Securing the appropriate visas and work permits for expatriate specialists
• Meeting applicable national content and local participation requirements
• Maintaining accurate payroll, taxation and statutory reporting
• Ensuring employment contracts and worker mobilisation processes comply with local requirements

Compliance should therefore be treated as part of workforce planning rather than an administrative step after recruitment. For businesses without established in-country capability, working with an experienced workforce partner can help manage payroll, immigration, mobilisation and employment requirements while reducing the compliance risk associated with building and scaling project teams.
 

For the first time in nearly a decade, PNG has increased its national minimum wage. From 1 January 2026, the statutory hourly rate rose from K3.50 to K5.00 – an increase of almost 43% – with further rises scheduled to K5.25 in 2027 and K5.50 in 2028. Announced as part of PNG’s 50th Independence celebrations, the reform marks a significant shift in the country’s wage environment and will have implications for workforce costs and remuneration strategies across major resource projects.
 

This staged increase also signals a shift in wage expectations across the whole compensation curve, not just at the entry level. Retention implications for employers include:

• Reviewing pay bands so differentials above the new floor still attract skilled labour
• Budgeting for the 2027 and 2028 steps rather than treating 2026 as a one-off  
• Recognising that competitors will use the reset as a moment to poach

For businesses, a rising wage environment turns retention into a live commercial risk, because replacing a departed specialist mid-project costs far more than retaining one.

Employers should treat the minimum wage increase as a broader workforce planning issue rather than simply a payroll adjustment. Benchmarking critical roles against the market, reviewing salary bands and allowances and budgeting for the scheduled 2027 and 2028 increases can help businesses remain competitive as wage expectations shift. For scarce technical roles, combining competitive remuneration with clear career progression, project continuity and retention incentives can help protect critical capability from competitors as demand intensifies.

Local participation is a core requirement of how major resource projects in PNG are planned and delivered. Papua LNG, for example, has established a National Content strategy, designed to maximise opportunities for Papua New Guinean workers and businesses, with recruitment prioritising communities within the Project Area of Influence and host provinces before extending to candidates elsewhere in PNG.

This means local content cannot be treated as a consideration that comes after workforce planning. Recruitment strategies need to actively identify, develop and retain PNG nationals, while using international specialists selectively where critical capability is not available locally. Beyond meeting project and regulatory commitments, strong national participation also supports skills transfer, builds long-term domestic capability and strengthens a project’s social licence to operate.
 

The workforce challenges extend well beyond PNG’s major resource operators. As Papua LNG progresses, much of the project activity will be delivered through engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors and their subcontractors, creating a flow-on effect across the broader supply chain. Engineering consultancies, construction contractors, logistics providers and professional services firms will all be drawing from many of the same talent pools at the same time.

For employers, this means workforce planning cannot happen in isolation. A recruitment partner with visibility across the broader resources ecosystem can anticipate where demand is emerging, identify competing skills requirements and support operators, EPC contractors and service providers across different stages of delivery. A fragmented approach to hiring risks intensifying competition, increasing labour costs and creating bottlenecks across the project supply chain.

As PNG moves into its next wave of resource investment, the organisations that treat workforce capability as an integrated project and supply-chain challenge – rather than a series of individual vacancies – will be better positioned to secure scarce skills, mobilise teams quickly and keep projects on schedule.
 

For more than 50 years, Brunel has supported energy, mining and infrastructure organisations with the specialist people and workforce solutions needed to deliver complex projects. In PNG, we combine local market knowledge and in-country capability with access to an established global talent network, helping employers recruit, mobilise and manage workforces across the project lifecycle.

With mining already employing a significant share of PNG’s experienced technical workforce and major LNG developments set to create further demand, securing the right people will require more than reactive recruitment. Brunel helps employers plan workforce requirements early, strengthen local talent pipelines, source scarce technical expertise, mobilise international specialists where required, and manage the compliance and payroll complexities of employing people in PNG.

As competition intensifies through 2026–2028, businesses that combine national workforce development with flexible access to specialist talent will be better equipped to scale their teams, protect project schedules and deliver safely and efficiently.

Planning your workforce for PNG’s next wave of resource investment? Speak with Brunel’s PNG recruitment specialists about building the capability your project needs.