Human Resources or HR in mining industries are having big troubles when it comes into recruitment specifically, considering that the job demands severe sacrifices for the workers. A mining company requires a large workforce with diverse skills and operations are often done across the world. The most challenging work for the HR in mining industries is convincing future workers that the compensation and benefits are worth it despite moderate to severe working conditions.

This greatly affects the industries already withering workforce, as the requisite skills and abilities are becoming more and more difficult to meet as time goes by. Mining engineering, geology and some socio-political challenges have become a hindrance for the industry’s already slow growth that is why mining companies had to seek external support dealing with this matter or time will come that the mining industry will be thoroughly dissolved, hence the option of external HR in mining companies.

PEO’s or or Professional Employer Organizations are the most commonly used HR in mining companies as they are specifically designed to focus on employees’ recruitment and needs. The shortage of skilled workers, however, has been a very challenging task for the procured HR in mining companies and because of this, the use of information technology has come in handy. Human Resource departments have opted to post job openings all over the internet in hopes that it could gradually raise the number of professional and skilled workers for the mining industry.

HR in mining industries has indeed, gone global. Nowadays, some PEOs offer over 5,000, if not more experts that are scattered across the globe, most of them specifically focusing on the fluctuating, if not dying mining industry workforce. Not only that, but the development of the Mining Industry of Human Resources, a national sector that handles minerals and metals industry workforce sustainability in Canada has also made its mark involving HR in mining industries. MiHR collaborates with stakeholders in order to have a continuous workforce flow in the said industry. The development of solutions for the workers’ needs has also become their core, aside from consistently supplying skilled and professionals.

The labour-market issues seem to never end and the cycle of supply versus demand conflicts look like they will never be resolved. The mining industry has become badly injured due to the rapid opening of more opportunities that does not involve a not very comfortable, if not poorly conditioned workplace and environment.

While the HR in mining and mineral industries seem to be having a hard time flourishing the languished industry, it is undeniable what a procured human resources department can do in these times of trouble. Instead of focusing on the low workforce pandemic in mining, employers and owners are still able to maintain a complete relationship with the industry itself, handling operational and distributional aspects. Sure, this may look like a difficult time for now, but in time, as more and more organizations strive to rebuild what seems to have been broken, the mining industry will stand up once again.

On 13th October 2010, the last of 33 miners trapped by an accident at the San Jose copper-gold mine near Copiapo, Chile was winched to safety. He had been at a depth of 2,300 feet below ground level. He had spent 69 days trapped underground with his companions after a shaft collapsed at the notoriously dangerous mine where the deaths of 8 miners had been reported over the last 12 years.

This high publicity incident was a catalyst for Chile’s mining regulation agency to bring the hammer down, closing 18 mines within days and scheduling a further 300 for closure. It’s easy to condemn Chilean mining as unsafe and exploitative, but what are the real pros and cons of the industry?

Pros
1) Mining is a great source of income for Chilean workers
Chilean copper mine workers are among the highest-paid miners in South America. However, inflated wages are used to entice workers to mines with poor safety records, as in the case of San Jose; mine workers were paid around 20% more for their troubles.

2) Generally Chilean mines have a good safety record
San Jose is an example of a smaller mine at which standards are known to slip. However, the larger mines generally owned by multi-nationals or the state copper mining company, Codelco, run a tighter ship.

3) Mining brings the benefits of a strong economy to Chileans
Currently enjoying a strong economic status, the population of Chile have good reason to be thankful for the mining industry. Over a third of government income due to exports come from copper alone. One notable benefit of the economic surplus from copper mining is the use of government funds to pay for reconstruction after the 2010 Chilean earthquake.

Cons
1) Inadequate government resources are available to monitor the industry
Between 2004 and 2010, the San Esteban Mining Company (owner of the San Jose mine) received 42 fines for breaching safety regulations. Why was the San Jose accident allowed to happen? Due to budget constraints, there were only three inspectors for the Atacama Region’s 884 mines. Despite a very immediate public response to correct the problems that led to the San Jose disaster, the government still has much to do to bring the industry under control.

2) It isn’t all wine and roses economically
Copper is a highly volatile commodity on the international markets, experiencing increases and decreases in value of up to 50% during the 1980′s. The Chilean government have established a Stabilization Fund to put aside the surpluses of good years to cover the shortfall of others, but the unpredictability of such a core element of the entire country’s economy is a great source of risk.

3) Environmental concerns
Copper mining produces 99 tons of waste for every ton of usable material. When you consider the usable copper output of Chile, that’s a lot of waste.

It isn’t often that Latin American countries get to reap the benefits of their natural resources, and Chile is a good example of a country that turns it’s rich mineral deposits into benefits that reach the population. However, in the rush to make the most of what it’s got, Chile has lost control of the smaller players in the mining industry, and it’s any one’s guess if they will be able to rein things in to the point where accidents like San Jose are a distant memory.

The mining industry in Australia is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The non-stop increasing demand for minerals has given it an enormous boom. Mining and activities related to mining contribute to 4.1% of the Gross Domestic Product for the company. With such huge deposits of resources the sector has still a long way to go.

Western Australia is the center of all mining activities. This part of the country has most of the resource deposits and due to sky rocketing demands for minerals, there is always a need of workers to meet the requirement. Individuals with experience in other fields often tend to enter the mining business even if there experience does not count, in order to earn good money and change their profession.

Skills are not the essential commodity in this business when you are entering it, although as you gain relevant experience your pay scale definitely rises, but you can enter here with some or no experience and you can surely find your way.

With no skills in hand you can still get a job for sample preparer, geologist assistant, surveyor assistance or a driller’s helper. Other fields available in this sector are kitchen jobs, cleaning jobs or catering jobs.

Some useful information about these starter jobs would be quite helpful so here it is. Sample Preparer work is all about splitting, sorting and crushing of the samples collected in a geological survey. Some laboratory work is also undertaken. Jobs like operating and deploying drilling rigs to drill holes for investigation of future deposits come under Driller’s Offsider.

A Surveyor Assistant helps in assembling the survey equipment, monitoring the equipment inventory, assisting in office and field duties and maintaining the survey equipment. Whereas helping in contractor management and drilling management, supporting the Geologist in day to day safety initiatives are the jobs of a Geologist Assistant.

The level of earnings can be estimated only from the fact that employees with no experience or licenses can earn around 1400-1700 AUD a week and people with experience earn $100,000 AUD annually, depending on location and experience.

Types of positions that are provided can either be DIDO where you drive in from your residence to the mining site and after completing your shift can drive out back to your residence while working on a set roster. Other is FIFO in which you can fly to the city when your working shift or roster is on and after completing a roster you fly back to your own city.

Most expenses are fully paid by the mining organization with free accommodation and food; this is the most common format. The other option is you get a residential position in the mining town. You are then taken to and from the mine by the transport of the organization.

With the right information and advice you can give your mining career a great start. This article should have helped you giving a summarized picture of the Mining Industry of Australia.