Whether driven by technological innovation or helping to drive it, mining is facing a profound skills gap. A 2022 McKinsey survey found that 86% of mining executives reported difficulties recruiting and retaining skilled employees, a challenge fuelled in part by rapid digital transformation.
Since then the competences that miners – and the teams that support them – need have evolved further. Take maintenance, for example: historically carried out as a reactive function in response to a breakdown, maintenance technicians were accustomed to being elbow-deep in grease and oil.
Today, however, explains Aidan Knight, associate analyst at Mining Technology's parent company GlobalData, almost half of all mining companies plan to invest in predictive maintenance in the next two years. “Knowledge of these systems will be key for future maintenance professionals,” he says, with concepts such as cloud-based monitoring, digital twins, predictive algorithms, machine learning and autonomous operations already part of everyday maintenance functions.
Technology is unlocking potential savings
Rockwell Automation’s global principal of digital mining, metals & manufacturing, Kumar Parekh, believes maintenance has evolved from basic asset management to asset intelligence, a change that is helping to reduce costs and benefitting the bottom line of mining companies globally.
This plethora of advanced technologies and the intelligence they bring are delivering an ever-larger cache of data to exploit. Together with AI – heralding predictive maintenance, condition-based monitoring, optimised spares and inventory management, and reduced downtime – the role of the maintenance team is being overhauled.
This is no surprise, given that Parekh believes the three largest cost drivers for mines today are labour, energy and maintenance, with the latter accounting for around half of all operating expenditure (opex). Through connected operations and AI, companies can reduce costs, he says; for example, AI can single-handedly manage inventory and spares ordering, reducing downtime from delayed deliveries and freeing staff from routine tasks.
Knight exemplifies this with mining giant Anglo American, which “has reduced downtime by up to 75% in some of its operations thanks to predictive maintenance”. With maintenance accounting for so much of opex, it is no surprise that mining companies want an army of multiskilled workers with the ability to operate several types of computational equipment.
GlobalData’s 2025 report The Future of Work in Mining suggests automation, digitalisation and advanced analytics will reshape future maintenance roles, with maintenance technicians requiring stronger digital, data and technical skills to interpret sensor data, run diagnostics and work alongside automated systems and processes.
This includes the growing use of predictive maintenance to cut costs and scale-up efficiency. Predictive maintenance will reduce downtime and improve equipment reliability, while lowering the demand for traditional mechanical maintenance work, both Parekh and GlobalData’s report note.
Shifting dynamics amplify the skills crunch
Parekh adds that another trend is compounding the need for next-generation skills: mining is increasingly using remote operations and monitoring. BHP opened Australia’s first integrated remote operations centre (ROC) in Perth in 2012 to oversee its iron ore supply chain in Western Australia. Since then, both Rio Tinto and Fortesuce have followed suit in Perth and Brisbane.
Whilst these facilities are not specifically maintenance driven, they can oversee it across numerous sites from their location. Using small language models-based AI agents, intelligent algorithms and data analysis, skilled teams manage the performance and condition of machine assets, proactively intervening when required – from tens, hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
BHP uses AI for predicting (and thus cutting) the likelihood of equipment failures, whilst Rio Tinto says it is “drawing on data more efficiently to understand asset health, maintenance scheduling and bottleneck solutions”. Despite the different technology and applications, both mining giants heap equal praise on one valuable asset: their people and how they exploit the power these systems offer.
“With AI and new technologies, mines can operate closer to peak efficiency, extend the lifespan of critical equipment and improve safety by reducing manual inspections in hazardous areas,” Parekh says.
As the two mining giants attest, though, human talent remains a critical ingredient. However, employers are struggling to recruit the technical and digital skills needed for modern maintenance roles, all while contending with retirements, an ageing workforce still adapting to new demands and talent migrating to other sectors.
According to a recent paper by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 72% of today’s miners across the world are over 35 years old. The OECD stresses that the industry needs to address the lack of skilled workers in the pipeline, as well as the attractiveness of positions on offer.
Labelling the loss of experience, either through retirement or migrations, a “major challenge on the doorstep of mining” – "attrition management", as he calls it – Parekh frets about the recruitment difficulties mining faces. He says a big issue is that younger candidates are shifting from “blue-collar jobs” in favour of a “other career paths”.
Mining maintenance needs a makeover
The current circumstances highlight the need for a balanced strategy to fill the skills shortage: upskill/reskill the existing workforce and win over those starting out in their careers.
Before it is lost, employers should first lock in the experience and knowledge of their more mature staff. Parekh suggests electronically recording and digitising their expertise, something he says Rockwell is supporting its clients in doing. Such training tools include using technology such as virtual or extended reality systems to deliver expertise.
He also encourages mentorship programmes that pair digital natives with more seasoned colleagues to deliver dual learning. “Bridging this gap ensures knowledge transfer in both directions – traditional troubleshooting wisdom combined with modern analytics – to build workforce resilience in the face of accelerating change,” he says.
This, however, assumes younger people are applying. The hope is that as mining’s significance to the green transition becomes more apparent and taps into the growing appetite among the young for professions that demonstrate sustainability, and as job functions evolve from manual to digital, younger applicants will be enticed. For now, however, mining must get itself in front of them as their career ambitions take shape.
The industry is working closely with training and education providers on awareness initiatives, mentorships and apprenticeships.
In Australia, for example, Rio Tinto is a multi-award winner in the field with its “early talent” programmes offering graduate and intern roles. The Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy is bringing youngsters into the orbit of the resources sector through workshops and camps. Its flagship 12-month Student Ambassador Programme sees participants regularly meet to gain insight and begin to build their professional networks. Rockwell has also established links with education, working with the University of Melbourne on intern programmes.
The face of mining and the jobs it offers are mutating, Parekh says, as heavy industry transitions to Industry 5.0. “Industry 4.0 was all about taking humans away from the site and applying predictive models among others,” he says. “Industry 5.0 is about bringing humans back to the site and in a ROC typically, which would move to a higher-skilled role.”
Whether current and future workforces are ready for it, this is mining’s trajectory.
“Many jobs can now be done remotely, either from a nearby control centre or, in some cases, from home,” Knight concludes. “Tech skills will be essential for candidates who plan to excel in the industry.”
Asked what he thinks the maintenance technician of tomorrow will look like, Parekh says they need two crucial skills. “First, extensive knowledge of processes involving heavy assets. As AI continues to grow, these workers will no longer be as physically close to these machines, so they will need to learn about processes and need knowledge of these heavy assets in greater detail to do their job effectively.”
Second, they need to ask the right questions of AI for it to enhance their job and achieve the right outcomes – now, that is a skill in itself.
