The Mining HR Challenge

The Canadian mining industry is highly competitive on the world stage and has the potential to remain successful well into the future. This potential, however, is threatened by looming labour shortages and other human resources issues facing the sector. Several labour market trends are impacting the availability and quality of labour in mining; most notably the aging workforce, productivity, and challenges in attracting new talent to the sector.

Over the past decade, the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) has released employment and hiring forecasts and analyses of the short - and long-term human resource issues facing the mining industry. The most recent forecast indicates the industry will need to hire approximately 100,000 workers by 2021 to replace workers lost due to changes in employment and to retirement and other forms of separation. 

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To address the skills shortage the mining industry has recognised that it needs to collaborate on changing perceptions of mining, worker mobility and retention.  In recent years companies have adopted proactive strategies to attract, recruit and retain top talent, and these initiatives will remain a priority over the next decade. Achievements have been made in diversifying the mining workforce; however, industry stakeholders will continue, and likely intensify these efforts, to ensure an adequate supply of labour well into the future.

Further research and customised forecasting tools are available at www.mininghrforecasts.ca.  HR Forecasts offers the most extensive research and analysis available on Canada's mining labour market today.

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