Chile will need to add nearly 37,000 skilled workers over the next decade to support a planned $104.549 billion mining investment pipeline. File Photo by Sebastian Padilla/UPI | License Photo
June 30 (UPI) -- Chile will need to add nearly 37,000 skilled workers over the next decade to support a planned $104.549 billion mining investment pipeline, with labor shortages emerging as one of the industry's biggest risks to bringing new projects online.
As global demand rises for copper and other critical minerals used in the energy transition, the world's largest copper producer faces mounting pressure to train workers for an increasingly technology-driven mining sector.
A report by the Mining Skills Council and the Eleva program found that projected labor demand is equivalent to about one-quarter of the industry's current workforce. In 2025, Chile's mining sector employed more than 300,000 direct workers.
The report estimates that the northern Antofagasta region alone, which accounts for about half of Chile's mining employment, will require more than 18,000 additional skilled workers over the next 10 years.
