Canada possesses significant amounts of the critical minerals needed for the transition to a green economy. The nation can be a world leader in supplying these critical minerals, but the opportunity cannot be seized without attracting more workers into the sector.
Workforce skills shortages are one of the biggest risks when it comes to supplying the world with critical minerals and metals. A robust supply of skilled exploration and mining workers is needed to support expansion, avoid ongoing labour shortages, and ensure the minerals and metals sector’s sustainability and competitiveness.
Yet, Canada’s mining talent pipeline is shrinking. Long-term forces undermine the labour supply’s ability to respond to periods of growth – such as rising retirements, a widening worker age gap, and continued underperformance in attracting underrepresented groups.
Widening Age Gap: Share of Workforce by Age Category, mining, quarrying & oil and gas extraction
Source: Mining Industry Human Resources Council; Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 2023.
Post-secondary enrolment in geoscience- and mining-related programs is also dwindling. While undergraduate enrolment across all engineering programs is increasing, mining engineering enrolment decreased by 50 per cent from 2012 to 2023 – the largest decline of any engineering discipline. Geological engineering enrolment was down nearly 40 per cent, and other mining-related programs are experiencing similar declines – highlighting a bottleneck for attracting new talent.
Undergraduate Enrolments and Degrees Awarded in Mining or Mineral Engineering (2012 to 2023)
*Forecast from 2021 onwards assumes present trends continue.
Source: MiHR; Engineers Canada, Canadian Engineers for Tomorrow: Trends in Engineering Enrolment and Degrees Awarded Report; Canadian Mining Schools Committee (CMSC), Survey of Canadian Mining Engineering Schools, 2023.
Post-Secondary Enrolment (Bachelor’s and Below) and Graduates by Institution, Geosciences (2009 to 2023)
Mining has also historically struggled to diversify its workforce. For instance, the latest trends on representation in the workforce show that, relative to other industries, mining continues to underperform with women and newcomers. Women make up just under half of the Canadian labour force but only represent 14 per cent of the mining industry – and while 30 per cent of the overall workforce is made up of immigrants, they only represent eight per cent in mining.
These stagnant and shrinking supplies of talent come at a time when demand for critical minerals is increasing along with the industry’s demand for skilled personnel. The industry has grown significantly since 2020, with employment having gone up by about 40 per cent, and approximately 50 per cent of the sector’s workforce required some form of post-secondary education in 2020. That number is now closer to 75 per cent.
Higher job vacancy rates are also being experienced and labour market pressures may get more intense. Solutions require an all-hands-on-deck mentality. No organization or company can do this alone. Companies of all sizes and academia are needed to collaborate to grow and sustain a healthier talent supply.
A sustained, unified voice is needed to reach the next generation of minerals and metals workers. Addressing the challenge starts with communicating the sector’s importance and the breadth of careers it offers to Canadian youth, immigrants, and other underrepresented groups who are unaware of, or look negatively on mining careers. They need to be inspired to create the change required to increase post-secondary educational enrolment and diverse sources of labour.
As the national organization that provides labour market information and leads collaboration across Canada’s mining sector to identify opportunities and develop solutions, the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) is working towards operationalizing a pan-Canadian coalition of industry stakeholders to coordinate efforts through its Mining Needs You (www.miningneedsyou.ca) brand to address the sector’s talent crisis. Mining Needs You was launched in 2021 to showcase to youth and other key audiences what modern mining looks like, its use of innovative technologies, and industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
By prioritizing EDI initiatives, Canada’s mining industry has also been taking important steps to create inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. To help drive systemic change, members of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC), who account for most of Canada’s base and precious metals production, adopted a Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Protocol on Equitable, Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces. Globally recognized, TSM drives mining companies’ performance in managing key environmental and social risks, including biodiversity conservation, water stewardship, Indigenous and community relations, and more.
The TSM EDI Protocol requires MAC member companies to develop and implement corporate EDI strategies, processes to foster welcoming workplace cultures, and approaches to EDI objective setting at mine sites. To assess performance and measure progress, the Protocol outlines criteria associated with three indicators: 1) corporate level leadership and strategy, 2) facility level advancement of EDI, and 3) facility level monitoring, performance and reporting.
Mining companies can leverage three key tools to establish workplaces in line with the protocol and its criteria: MiHR’s EDI Toolkit for Mining Companies, its diversity eLearning, and ENSEMBLE: The Mining Diversity Network.
MiHR’s EDI Toolkit helps companies develop and implement corporate EDI strategies. Organized by TSM performance indicators, it helps mining organizations streamline their efforts and move from ideation to implementation, evaluation, and reporting. Visit mihr.ca/inclusion-diversity/mining-edi-supports to learn more.
MiHR’s diversity eLearning modules provide professional development and micro credentials for Canada’s mining industry. Taken by thousands of learners by registering at mihr.ca/cmsds/elearning, they focus on intercultural awareness; Indigenous awareness; gender equity in mining; and bias, systemic discrimination, and anti-racism.
ENSEMBLE: The Mining Diversity Network enables its members to network and collaborate in identifying and addressing barriers to full and equitable participation in the workplace. ENSEMBLE also includes resources to assist individuals and organizations along their journey towards inclusion in mining. Individuals can sign up at mihr-ensemble.com.
Despite the challenges, long-term efforts will yield material progress. To help Canada transition to a green economy, the minerals and metals sector needs to come together to communicate its importance and inspire key audiences to consider exploration and mining education and careers.
