The Canadian mining industry is projected to need to hire roughly 80,000 workers by 2030, finds a new report by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR). Published today, the 2020 Canadian Mining Labour Market 10-Year Outlook provides insight into the last decade of mining industry economics, and forecasts where the sector is headed. Though the mining labour market is generally volatile and cyclical due to fluctuations in commodity prices, research points toward steady growth for the sector.

“Mining’s significance to the Canadian economy cannot be understated,” said MiHR’s Executive Director Ryan Montpellier. “We must learn from labour market research to successfully navigate the industry’s volatility and maintain a sustainable labour supply, and ensure shifting skills are addressed as innovation plays an increasingly critical role within the industry.”

MiHR’s 10-year outlook reveals challenges that mining companies, post-secondary institutions and other industry stakeholders need to be aware of to stay productive. 60% of hiring requirements will be in extraction and milling, with the sub-sector expected to face the most significant hiring gap of potentially 4,800 unfilled vacancies. Most job openings will likely be in production occupations, with hiring gaps forecasted for supervisors, coordinators and support workers. With innovative technologies becoming more commonplace, mining companies will increasingly require engineering, production and trades skills.

The report also shares mining’s positive trends over the past five years. Prices for most commodities such as iron ore, copper, zinc and crude oil have grown since 2016, and most commodity prices are expected to stabilize. Mining job openings grew substantially from 785 vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2016 to 2,650 in the second quarter of 2019. The industry is also championing Indigenous inclusion. Nearly 7.5% of the industry’s workforce is Indigenous, compared to 3.9% in all industries.

“MiHR is proud to release this outlook and share its important discoveries,” said MiHR’s Director of HR Research and Labour Market Information Erin Mill, “Much of our research points towards new technologies – and the skills necessary to install and maintain them – as the next revolution in mining. These new findings will be further explored in MiHR’s upcoming report on innovation
in mining.”

To access a digital copy of the 2020 Canadian Mining Labour Market 10-Year Outlook, please visit www.mihr.ca/pdf/publications/MIHR_National_Report_web2.pdf.

(Source: the Mining Industry Human Resources Council)