Near the end of 2009, economic indicators began to point toward recovery in the mining sector.
While companies were focused on managing through the recession, planning for the next decade was not an immediate priority, yet the demographic pressures of our industry haven’t changed.
As illustrated in the Mining Industry Human Resources Council’s (MiHR) latest report, Canadian Mining Industry Employment and Hiring Forecasts 2010, even in our most pessimistic forecast the industry will need 60,000 workers to replace retirees and ongoing departures.
If we consider a period of relative stability in the sector, the number of recruits needed balloons to 100,000 by 2020, while an optimistic forecast drives the need to more than 130,000 workers.
Rapid economic change is a reality that makes strategic long-term workforce planning a challenge.
In mining, workforce plans tend to focus on short-term operational objectives, rather than long-term strategic human resources (HR) management.
In order to help manage the impact that economic cycles have on industry employment and meet future human resources needs, an industry based, longer-term workforce strategy would be a significant asset.
Following a number of regional HR forums across Canada, MiHR’s stakeholders clearly expressed a need for timely, reliable and relevant labour market information and resources for workforce planning to help mitigate the consequence of rapid and significant changes in the supply of skilled workers.
To help industry manage the aging workforce and develop a long-term workforce planning strategy, MiHR has released the Canadian Mining Industry Employment and Hiring Forecasts 2010 report and HR Forecasts, a national online tool that will allow users to create custom employment forecasts and feed them into their strategic plans and scenario models.
Developed under MiHR’s Mining Workforce Information Network (MIWIN), these two new resources provide the most extensive research and analysis on Canada’s mining labour market and workforce planning to date.
These resources will also better-align industry’s needs with education, bolstered by career awareness through our ongoing attraction program Explore for More.
Good labour market information means we can stop asking, “How long will the upturn last?” relying instead on countercyclical strategies that mitigate the effects of the sector’s volatility.
Another key approach in addressing the forecasted labour shortage is for employers to continue their efforts to make the most of all available sources of talent.
Employer strategies for this approach include creating a culture of inclusion in the workforce and increasing the representation of women, new Canadians and Aboriginal Peoples.
MiHR plays a key role in helping industry address the HR challenge through collaboration.
The council has recently launched MiHR Innovate, the first Canadian mining-specific HR community.
A collaborative platform for sharing knowledge and effective HR practices and initiatives, MiHR Innovate creates an opportunity to open up the dialogue and engage with fellow members of industry in the world of mining HR.
Central to MiHR Innovate is an online compendium, which will house innovative mining HR practices and initiatives as submitted by HR professionals, alongside interactive discussion groups.
MiHR innovate will facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration among mining industry HR professionals and help the HR community strengthen ideas against an industry sounding board.
MiHR Innovate is about bringing forward new ideas for addressing the HR challenges specific to mining by showcasing any innovative HR practice or initiative.
These can be smaller, focused initiatives or more complex strategies.The focus is to create dialogue to help industry take these ideas and tailor them to address its respective HR challenges, categorized in four key areas:
- work environment and culture;
- learning and development;
- compensation, rewards and recognition and wellness; and
- reputation of the organization.
Through the development of a longer-term workforce planning strategy and the exchange of knowledge and innovative practices, we can implement the strategies needed to ensure an appropriately skilled workforce is in place for the continued sustainability of Canada’s mining industry.
Ryan Montpellier is the executive director of MiHR, the sector council for the Canadian minerals and metals industry. www.mihr.ca