A new survey has found 40% of mining industry employees are planning to leave their job within a year, with opportunities and working conditions key factors in people’s decision-making.
Almost 40% of mining industry employees are planning to leave their job within a year, with opportunities and working conditions key factors in people’s decision-making, a new survey has found.
More than 100 people took part in Mining People’s poll in February 2022, which asked current industry employees how long they planned to stay in their current mining job.
Here’s what we learned.
More than a third of workers are in their job for the long haul
This is the raw data:
How long will you stay in your current mining job?
- 5% - I’m planning to leave within a year
- 24% - I’m planning to stay one to five years
- 5% - I’m in it for the long haul (more than five years).
(NOTE: This was a poll conducted on a mining recruitment company website, so it’s plausible to expect that, to some extent, the results would be self-selecting for respondents who are more mobile in the mining job market. Yet more than 60% of respondents aren’t currently, or even imminently, looking for a new role.)
Great companies earn loyal employees
But we didn’t stop at the one question. We wanted to dig deeper, to understand why some people were in their jobs long-term and why others had one foot out the door.
In surveys like this in the past we’ve asked people why they’re planning to leave their job. This time, we flipped the logic, and asked people why they were planning to stay.
The results were fascinating. There’s a direct correlation between good opportunities and working conditions and an employee’s anticipated tenure.
Let’s look at the list of options and what the overall response was from those surveyed. (NOTE: respondents could select all the answers that applied to their situation.)
- 30% - I have opportunities to achieve career goals at the company
- 24% - I have trust and confidence in the company’s senior leadership team
- 30% - The company shows care and concern for employees
- 21% - The company effectively managed and well-run
- 45% - I have opportunities for learning and development at the company.
A direct correlation
Where the results get exciting, and where mining companies should take heed, is the direct correlation between the responses the each of the above indicators and how long employees anticipate they’ll remain at their current company.
In every category but one, those who plan to stay the longest had a positive view of the company and their opportunities within it.
Let’s take them one at a time. (NOTE: Figures are rounded.)
I have opportunities to achieve career goals at the company
- 25% - I’m planning to leave within a year
- 28% - I’m planning to stay one to five years
- 47% - I’m in it for the long haul (more than five years)
I have trust and confidence in the company’s senior leadership team
- 20% - I’m planning to leave within a year
- 36% - I’m planning to stay one to five years
- 44% - I’m in it for the long haul (more than five years)
The company shows care and concern for employees
- 16% - I’m planning to leave within a year
- 39% - I’m planning to stay one to five years
- 45% - I’m in it for the long haul (more than five years)
The company effectively managed and well-run
- 23% - I’m planning to leave within a year
- 23% - I’m planning to stay one to five years
- 55% - I’m in it for the long haul (more than five years)
I have opportunities for learning and development at the company
- 42% - I’m planning to leave within a year
- 21% - I’m planning to stay one to five years
- 36% - I’m in it for the long haul (more than five years).
What mining companies can take from these results
At a time when mining is yet again experiencing a skills shortage, keeping natural attrition rates low is a vital part of every mining company’s HR and recruitment strategy.
This survey shows every mining company has it in their power to make changes — to introduce policies, procedures and practices — that make their workplace more attractive to their existing team members.
People will always leave. Natural attrition of staff members is a fact of life in any business. But if we can retain the good people we already have by improving operations and opportunities in line with the factors listed above, then the recruitment task becomes much easier.
If you are looking for deep insights into the mining markets and would like MPi to conduct some targeted industry research on your behalf, then please email us.