In the competitive US mining landscape of Nevada, mining companies are tapping into global talent pools to address their staffing challenges.
The US mining industry is in the grip of extreme staffing challenges. Across Canada, the United States, and Australia, competition is fierce for technical and operational people.
For two Nevada miners—with copper and gold operations—the challenge was clear.
Too many specialised roles and not enough local talent to fill them.
Agata Sobolewska, Recruitment Delivery Manager, USA for Globe 24-7, says this has been a familiar story in recent years.
“When a copper producer approached us last year, their company was beginning the critical start-up phase. They were struggling to fill 17 leadership and technical positions. That included mining engineers, geotechnical engineers, and technical service managers.”
The same issue was affecting another gold miner in Nevada.
“Their internal recruitment team had dozens of pivotal roles to fill. But it was a battle to find the right candidates and get them onboarded before they were poached by other miners,” says Agata.
With local talent pools running dry, both companies decided to look beyond the borders to meet their operational demands.
Casting a wider net: Reducing time-to-hire
Given the talent shortage in the US, both companies have broadened their scope, actively recruiting from Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
The primary drivers behind this?
Expedited visa processes and the international experience these candidates bring.
“The visa requirements and processes are a lot faster for candidates from Canada, Mexico and Australia,” says Agata.
“That shortens the time between offering them the role and having them on the ground.”
“It also promotes cultural diversity, which is great, and the opportunity to infuse global best practices and innovative mining techniques into their operations.”
How we helped
We partnered with both miners to connect them with qualified professionals from Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
We helped them navigate the communication with migration lawyers for complex visa processes and coordinate relocation, making the transition smoother for both the companies and the new hires.
We helped fill 30 percent of the roles across both companies with international talent.
“It’s a win-win situation,” says Agata.
Martha Preston, Globe 24-7 Regional Manager for North America outlines this below
No more long-term vacancies
“Our clients are successfully filling critical roles with experienced candidates. That has helped reduce operational bottlenecks that were forming from long-term vacancies.”
“It’s also been a big selling point for international candidates—relocating to the US to get experience in one of the best mining districts in the world,” Agata says.
As the mining industry in the US grapples with local talent shortages, these miners are leading the way by tapping into global talent pools.
They offer a compelling case. Looking beyond the local market is another viable way to fill strategic positions.
