News Release
The Mining Industry Human Resources Council
Launches National Industry Discussion on Workplace
Culture and Career Paths in Mining
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Innovation is the key to sustainable success in
the mining industry. The literature shows that
diverse teams are smarter and bring new ideas
and approaches to difficult problems. Attracting
the broadest possible pool of scientists and
engineers to this industry is essential for
Canada's economic progress."
Dr. Elizabeth Croft, NSERC Chair for Women in
Science and Engineering (BC/Yukon),
Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty of
Applied Science at the University of British
Columbia.
OTTAWA (February 2, 2015)
The Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) launched a first-ofits-kind Canada-wide study today, to deepen the sector’s understanding of
the workplace culture and career paths unique to the Canadian mining
industry. The findings of this national discussion will support employers in
their efforts to attract, recruit and retain a wide range of talented people. The national discussion will consist of an online survey
of industry workers representative of a variety of levels, sectors and occupations, as well as interviews and focus groups with
current or former workers, agencies and employers. This project, funded in
part by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program, will also
“Access to information about career experiences in large
support the expansion of MiHR’s labour market intelligence program.
and high growth sectors such as mining will help those
who are new to Canada to explore more in-demand career
MiHR’s latest labour market report, Canadian Mining Industry 2014
opportunities.”
Employment, Hiring Requirements and Available Talent 10-Year Outlook,
Stephen G. Chase, Senior Manager Program
indicates that the industry will require over 120,000 new workers by 2024 –
Development and Partnerships, World Education Services
85 per cent are required to simply replace retiring workers. To fill this gap,
the mining industry must look to a wide variety of sources for talented
workers, including women, Aboriginal peoples and immigrants, and offer rewarding career opportunities and positive work
environments that will attract more talent from these underrepresented groups. To achieve this, it is important for industry
stakeholders to understand what is working now, and what could be improved for workers from all backgrounds.
The goal of this national discussion is to hear directly from the Canadian mining workforce representative of a variety of levels,
sectors and occupations – men and women, Aboriginal peoples and non-Aboriginal, Canadian-born and those who have
immigrated here – to capture and to understand their experiences of working in mining. Additional input from the perspective of
employers, agencies, and other key stakeholders will help to identify barriers and develop proven practices. The results will
support stakeholders from across Canada’s mining and minerals sector in offering attractive careers in an inclusive industry and
fostering the development of a highly skilled workforce, now and in the future.
Participation in this discussion is open to:
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Current or former workers in the Canadian mining and minerals industry (including contractors directly involved in the
sector)
Representatives of agencies that work to place clients with Canadian mining companies
Canadian mining employers with experiences to share on recruiting talent into the industry
Elders and community leaders
Eligible workers who participate will be entered into a draw to receive one of ten VISA $50 gift cards. Participant organizations
will gain access to an invitation-only webcast as a pre-release to the public findings release.
The discussion will run from February to June 2015. Workers can participate directly in the survey at:
http://fluidsurveys.com/s/MiHRTalksCareers Other organizations that are interested in participating or sharing information
on the project with their membership or network can contact:
Sarah Gauen, Project Manager – Sector Studies at MiHR
sgauen@mihr.ca / 613.270.9696 x29
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