The Canadian mining sector‚ with its 200‚000 direct workers (and another 100‚000 in related jobs)‚ faces a big problem: young people dont want to work there. About two-thirds of youth wont consider mining careers which leaves companies short 10‚000 workers
Even those young people that do have awareness continue to hold very dated perceptions of our industry‚ they still view this as dark dirty and dangerous industry and that couldnt be further from the truth
The next twenty years will need 15 fresh mines and 19 processing places to support ev-battery makers; this creates a real-time challenge for the industry. Nadia Mykytczuk from Laurentian Universityʼs mining school points out that shortages might slow down production – which affects prices of important materials
The old-school mining image needs a re-boot: todays mines use high-tech systems like remote-controlled machines digital twins and data-driven tools. Jered Heigh from Cameco describes how workers now use joysticks in control rooms instead of going underground
- Remote drone operations
- Automated haulage systems
- Robotic drilling equipment
- Data analytics platforms
The industry works hard on fixing its past problems: Sudbury (once known for acid rain and dead lakes) planted 10-million trees and cleaned up operations. Companies push for more diversity too – Dean Winsor from Teck Resources says women now make up 25% of their workers; up 10% in about ten years
Mining groups offer free training programs special scholarships and remote work options to attract new talent. Michelle Edwards from Agnico Eagle explains they use social-media job fairs and workplace training to bring in fresh faces; focusing on indigenous peoples and under-represented groups