Female participation reached 21% in February, up from 19% in November 2021.

Overall, strong demand has seen total direct employment reach a record of more than 274,000 people, up by 25,000 over the past year.

"Mining has helped sustain the economy and the budget throughout the pandemic and continues to prepare for the demands of the future world - high tech and lower emissions," MCA chief executive Tania Constable said.

"The strong labour market has resulted in labour and skills shortages.

"To sustain the economic recovery, the MCA calls on the government to increase investment in skills and training."

The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program has been instrumental to increasing apprenticeships in the mining supply chain, with 5000 new apprenticeships supported by mining over the past 12 months.

"Next week, the federal government has an opportunity to continue this program to support even more apprenticeships," Constable said.