What Is FIFO? Fly-In Fly-Out Work Explained (Rosters, Pay and Camp Life)

Published: 30 October 2026

FIFO means fly-in fly-out: you fly to a remote work site, live in company accommodation for a set number of days, then fly home for your days off. It is the standard way WA's mines, processing plants and big construction projects are staffed, because most sites are too far from Perth or a large town to commute daily. Perth Airport is the main departure point, which is why most FIFO jobs are advertised out of Perth.

Last fact-checked: 30 October 2026. Pay rates, rules and job numbers change; follow the linked source before you act.

What does FIFO mean?

FIFO stands for fly-in fly-out. A 2013 federal parliamentary inquiry defined it as work where the employee, but not their family, is given food and accommodation at or near the site and works a regular roster of days on and days off. You don't move to the town where the mine is. You stay in Perth (or wherever you live) and commute by charter flight at the start and end of each block of work.

Related terms you'll see in job ads:

Term	What it means
DIDO / BIBO	Drive-in drive-out or bus-in bus-out. Same idea as FIFO but by road, usually for sites a few hours from home, and often with shorter rosters.
Residential	You live in the mining town (for example Karratha, Port Hedland or Kalgoorlie) and drive to work each day.
Swing	One block of days at site. "Your first swing" is your first rotation.
R&R	Rest and recreation: your days off at home between swings.
Roster	The repeating pattern of on and off days, written as on:off. 8:6 is eight days on, six off. 2:1 is two weeks on, one week off.
Village / camp	The accommodation at or near site. Companies now mostly call them villages. Rooms are often called dongas.
Motelling	You get a different room each swing instead of a permanent one.
Point of hire	Where the employer flies you from, usually Perth Airport. Living elsewhere often means you pay to get to the point of hire.

One more thing to know: in accounting, FIFO means "first in, first out", a stock valuation method. If you were searching for that, this isn't the page. Everywhere else on a WA job board, FIFO means fly-in fly-out.

How many people work FIFO in WA?

The best available estimate is more than 60,000 FIFO workers in WA. The WA Parliament's 2022 Enough is Enough report used that figure and said evidence from operators supported it. Rio Tinto told the inquiry that 59% of its roughly 30,000 workers and contractors were FIFO.

There is no official count. The ABS Census has no FIFO question, so FIFO workers simply give their home address. A 2013 federal inquiry also found "very little authoritative national data", and nothing better has been published since.

For scale, WA mining had 134,009 full-time-equivalent jobs on site in 2024–25. That's a little below the record of 135,978 the year before. Iron ore, which is mostly in the Pilbara, accounted for 65,496 of those jobs and gold, mostly in the Goldfields, for 35,672. Not all of those workers are FIFO, but most of the remote sites are.

What FIFO jobs are being advertised right now

Most FIFO lists are built from recruiter ads. This snapshot uses jobs advertised by the employers themselves. On 29 October 2026 Jobs In Perth tracked 170 live FIFO jobs on WA employers' own careers sites and on direct job feeds. Here's how they broke down.

FIFO jobs by employer, 29 October 2026 (Jobs In Perth direct-employer data)
Employer	Live FIFO jobs
Mineral Resources	82
Fortescue	22
Rio Tinto	13
Roy Hill	8
BHP	6
WA Country Health Service (FIFO midwifery roles)	3
Contractors and smaller employers	36

Where: 101 of the 170 were in the Pilbara (iron ore, lithium and port operations). 26 were in the Goldfields, mostly around Kalgoorlie.

Which roles: operators and drivers (42) and mechanical trades such as fitters, boilermakers and diesel mechanics (36) made up nearly half. Electricians (19), supervisors (16), and engineers, geologists and planners (13) made up most of the rest. Only a handful were health roles.

Which rosters: 112 ads named a roster. More than half of those were 2:1 and about a quarter were 8:6. The rest were even-time rosters such as 7:7, 2:2 and 14:14. Mineral Resources posts a lot of 2:1 roles, so it pulls the mix that way. A 2018 Curtin University survey of more than 3,000 FIFO workers found 8:6 was the most common roster (30.4%) and 2:1 was second (16.6%). Our FIFO rosters guide compares the trade-offs.

Pay: only 12 of the 170 ads stated pay, which is normal for mining. Some of the ads that did:

Loader operator, civil contractor, 2:1: $55–$60 an hour
Electricians, Mineral Resources, 2:1: $83.30 an hour
MC (multi-combination) drivers, Onslow: $172,000 a year
HV electrician, mobile plant, Mineral Resources: $274,000 a year

See the FIFO salary guide and FIFO pay by role and roster for ranges by job.

Who pays for flights and accommodation?

In almost every WA FIFO job, the employer pays your flights from the point of hire, plus your room and meals while you're on site. No law requires this. It's standard practice, set out in each employer's contract or enterprise agreement, so check the ad and your offer.

The detail to check is the point of hire. If it's Perth and you live in Perth, you have nothing to arrange. If you live in Bunbury or interstate, you may have to get yourself to Perth Airport at your own cost and in your own time. Some ads say an interstate point of hire is "accommodated" or "considered". If it isn't stated, ask before you accept.

FIFO and tax

Flights aren't deductible. The ATO's ruling TR 2021/1 says living a long way from your regular workplace doesn't make the trip deductible, even if you have to fly.
Meals and a room provided by the employer can't be claimed either. You can't claim travel costs your employer provides or reimburses.
Most FIFO workers can't get the zone tax offset. Since 1 July 2015 the offset depends on where you usually live, and you need 183 days or more living in the zone during the income year. A Perth-based worker flying to the Pilbara doesn't qualify. Someone who lives in Karratha and works in a remote zone still can.
Living-away-from-home allowances follow separate FIFO/DIDO rules, and your employer handles the declaration.

This is general information, not tax advice. Check your own situation with the ATO or a registered tax agent.

What camp life is actually like

12-hour shifts are the norm. Many swings are day shift and night shift on rotation. WA has no fixed cap on shift length. Fatigue is managed under the WorkSafe working hours code, case by case.
Alcohol is limited. Companies generally cap it at four standard drinks a day, often mid-strength, and some sites log purchases on a swipe card.
You're tested. Breath testing before shift is common, and the expectation is that you blow zero. Drug testing is also standard under site policy.
Rooms vary. Some sites give you a permanent room; others use motelling. Research links permanent rooms with better mental health, so it's a fair question to ask at interview.
Connectivity varies. The WA code of practice expects reliable communications, but coverage on remote sites is still patchy. Ask about wi-fi if staying in touch with family matters to you.

Our first swing checklist covers what to pack and the pre-employment medical.

The downsides: mental health and safety

FIFO pays well, but the research on its costs is consistent. In the 2018 Curtin University study commissioned by the WA Mental Health Commission, 33% of FIFO workers reported high or very high psychological distress. That compares with 17% of a benchmark group and 10% of the male norm. Shorter and even-time rosters, such as 8:6 or 7:7, are linked to better mental health. WA's 2019 code of practice for FIFO workers is built around that research.

The WA Parliament's 2022 Enough is Enough inquiry into sexual harassment in FIFO mining cited Human Rights Commission data that 74% of women in mining had been sexually harassed in the previous five years. The inquiry made 24 recommendations. The government published its final progress report on them in June 2025.

If you or someone on site is struggling, help is available:

MATES in Mining helpline: 1300 642 111 (24/7, for mining workers and families)
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

Is FIFO right for you?

FIFO tends to suit people who can switch off between work and home, want to pay down debt quickly, and have support at home while they're away. It's harder on people with young children and no partner at home, on people who rely on their routines, and on anyone who drinks to unwind. Before you apply, work out three things for your first year:

How many nights you'll actually be away. A 2:1 roster means about 243 days a year on site; 8:6 means about 209.
What you earn per hour once you count the 12-hour days, not only the annual figure.
Who at home covers what while you're gone.

New to the industry? Start with how to get a FIFO job with no experience and what FIFO utility workers do. Then browse FIFO jobs from Perth and mining jobs.

Frequently asked questions

What does FIFO stand for?

Fly-in fly-out. You fly to a remote work site for a block of days, stay in company accommodation, then fly home for your days off.

What is a FIFO worker?

Someone whose job is at a remote site but who lives somewhere else, usually Perth, and commutes by charter flight on a roster such as 8:6 or 2:1.

How many FIFO workers are there in WA?

More than 60,000, according to evidence accepted by WA Parliament's 2022 inquiry. There's no official count because the Census doesn't ask about FIFO.

Do FIFO workers pay for their own flights?

Usually not. The employer normally pays flights from the point of hire (often Perth) plus your accommodation and meals. Getting to the point of hire can be your cost.

What is the most common FIFO roster?

In employer-posted WA FIFO jobs we tracked on 29 October 2026, 2:1 was the most common roster, followed by 8:6. In a 2018 survey of FIFO workers, 8:6 was the most common.

Can you claim FIFO flights on tax?

No. The ATO treats travel from home to a regular workplace as private, even when you have to fly.