The Mining Association of Canada | The Canadian Mining Story: Economic Impacts and Drivers for the Global Energy Transition 2023 41 In remote regions or in situations where workers rotate, higher wages help to attract and retain them. LOOKING FORWARD Hiring, training, and retaining new employees is likely to be a challenge for the mining industry in the near future. Salaries in the sector are already high, and the industry has limited ability to increase costs in a global market. As a result, new approaches may be necessary. As in many other industries, the work of mining is becoming increasingly technical. Engineers, technicians and information technologists are required to run the advanced technologies required for extraction and processing. MAC recommends the following to ensure the long-term sustainability of the labour force in the mining industry: • Continue to actively recruit Indigenous employees. Given the nature of the jobs available, this will increasingly require training in the specific technical skills required for mining. The federal government should continue to support Indigenous skills training programs, including the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Strategy, and those administered by MiHR, such as the Mining Essentials program, which, in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations, allows mining companies to benefit from a local workforce, while fostering economic development in Indigenous communities. • Efforts to increase equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the industry, should continue, including via government initiatives like NRCan’s Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP), which sets an aspirational target of 30% of women in the Figure 8: Mining Industry Wages, 2009-202132 32 Statistics Canada Table 36-10-0489-01; Natural Resources Canada. $133,109 $69,311 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 Canadian Dollars Total Mining, Smelting and Refining All Jobs
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