New research has revealed a surprising leader among the challenges holding back the mining sector. They found themselves short of qualified specialists, which has overtaken even sanctions pressure in importance.
According to a survey conducted among visitors to the largest industry exhibition MiningWorld Russia, almost half of the respondents (47%) consider the shortage of personnel to be a key challenge. Difficulties with international payments and sanctions restrictions worry 38% of survey participants. Another 31% noted problems with scaling new projects.
The study covered 90 top managers and company executives. Among them are representatives of mining enterprises, equipment manufacturers, processing and service companies. This suggests that the problem is felt at all levels of the technological chain.
The interest of professionals has shifted towards digitalization and market analysis. About 34% of respondents are actively interested in production automation. Almost the same number (33%) follow robotization and innovation in gold mining. More than 31% of market participants need deep analytics to plan their business.
The issues of equipment supply, although they have faded into the background, remain relevant. Almost a third of companies (30%) are looking for new procurement channels and raw material enrichment technologies to reduce operational risks.
Experts explain the personnel crisis for several reasons. Demographic decline, outdated educational programs and difficult working conditions are driving young people away. The situation is aggravated by the growing number of new projects for which they simply do not have time to train specialists.
“Companies have adapted to the sanctions and found new logistics routes,” comments exhibition director Marina Chelak. “But the staff shortage is only growing, especially in the engineering and service departments. Even mass automation will not solve the problem, because complex systems must be managed by trained people.”
Thus, the industry, which had overcome external restrictions, faced internal challenges. The success of new projects and sustainable growth now directly depend on the ability to attract and train the next generation of miners and engineers.
