Business Case for Inclusion in Mining

Aboriginal communities can play critical role as Canada’s minerals and metals industry faces a daunting shortfall in trained workers…

Despite the current industry lull, shortages of skilled mining professionals persist in the medium to long-term. This forecast is based on a large number of retirees (a large cohort of baby boomers start retiring in 2011) and individuals leaving the mining industry to work in other sectors. The Aboriginal population is growing six times faster than Canada’s non-Aboriginal population, which places this untapped human resources in an ideal position to pursue training for mining careers.

Through its labour market research work, the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) continues to forecast the need for tens of thousands of skilled workers across Canada over the next decade. The recent economic downturn has merely lowered projections of the number of skilled workers the mining industry will need to replace. The skills shortage in the mining industry still stands in the tens of thousands and we collectively need to start working on a solution now.

As commodity prices recover over the next few years, mining companies will be under renewed pressure to recruit and retain individuals with the appropriate skill sets and motivation to work in the industry. MiHR is collaborating with industry to develop and execute hiring programs to attract a non-traditional workforce, including youth, women, visible minorities and Aboriginal people in Canada that are welcome to participate in this high-paying sector.

Aboriginal men and women are ideally positioned to take advantage of these career opportunities and assume leading roles in the industry. Many Aboriginal communities are located within close proximity current mines and exploration sites across Canada.

Learn more about the business case for inclusion>>>