Mining is all too often considered a dirty word when it comes to career choices. That image is changing as young people become aware of the variety of jobs available in the industry — not just engineers and geologists, but computer experts, accountants, professional managers, sales professionals and a host of trades.
Still, the notion of reactionary mining companies exploiting workers and fighting against child labor laws persists. That’s why it is particularly interesting to see how the mining industry stacks up against other sectors of the economy when it comes to benefits packages offered its employees. These packages are one way of measuring how enlightened an employer is, how up-to-date it is in meeting the needs of its staff.
It’s no surprise to us that a recent survey by Hewitt Associates shows mining near the top. The survey of 300 Canadian employers gives the relative value of their benefits packages compared against the average score of 100. It shows mining’s total benefits package at 106.6, fourth overall and well ahead of aerospace, banks, chemicals, electronics, forest products, information processing, insurance, pharmaceuticals, health care, retail, transportation and several others. The relative value of employer benefits alone shows mining at 110.7, second only to the automotive industry.
Perhaps it’s those other industries that have some catching up to do.
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