Sask. faces shortage of 5,000 skilled mining workers by 2030, report says – by Jason Warick (CBC News Saskatoon – November 2, 2023)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/

Companies, governments, others must do more to train, recruit, retain workers: expert

Saskatchewan needs to train or recruit thousands of new skilled workers in the mining industry if it wants to realize its economic potential, according to a new report from consulting firm Deloitte. “Saskatchewan is one of the most significant mining jurisdictions in the world,” said Deloitte’s managing energy partner Andrew Swart.

“Solving this [shortage] is multifaceted. We need to take a new look at how we look at skills development.” Swart and others discussed the shortage at a conference in Saskatoon this week. He said job vacancies for skilled mining positions have grown by more than 130 per cent in the past four years.

If these jobs go unfilled, companies cannot operate at full capacity, limiting the province’s economic potential. He said Saskatchewan has vast potential reserves of the critical minerals essential to so many emerging industries. That’s in addition to traditional minerals like potash and uranium.

Deloitte’s workforce strategy lead Stephen Harrington agreed. He said the skilled worker shortage is easily the most important factor for the industry in the province.

For the rest of this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/shortage-5-000-skilled-mining-workers-1.7015379