Mining in Chile loses 20,000 jobs in three months

By SONAMI

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish

However, the SONAMI Studies Manager he estimates that to the extent that a robust boost to investment is given, mining occupation should increase.

Employment in the mining sector decreased by 20 thousand jobs, in the last three months, this is a 6.9% drop in employment, because according to the latest measurement, corresponding to the October-December 2022 mobile quarter, the number reached 269,000 workers, while in the last July-September period it reached 289,000, constituting this figure, the highest historical record, informed the manager of SONAMI Studies, Álvaro Merino.

Along with the above, the executive highlighted that in the latest data, compared to the immediately previous measurement, it is observed that mining employment falls by 12,000 jobs, that is, 4.3% while in the country it grows 0.9%, generating 82 thousand jobs.

“However, when analyzing the employment statistics in the last twelve months, positive aspects can be seen, since employment in the mining sector grows 13.5%, since in the moving quarter October-December 2021 it registered 237 thousand jobs, and today, as reported, it reaches 269,000 jobs. In the country, meanwhile, employment has grown 3.3% in the last twelve months, that is, 287,000 new jobs,” affirms the SONAMI executive.

On the other hand, it is opportune to point out that employment in the mining regions grew 18.7% in twelve months, that is, an increase of 24 thousand jobs. In Tarapacá it grows 13%, in Antofagasta it increases 27%, in Atacama 11% and in Coquimbo 16%.

While employment in the country, as well as in mining, has grown in the last twelve months, in other representative areas of the national economy there has been an increase of 11.6% in transportation, in the agricultural sector it rises 5.4%, in financial and insurance activities increased 4.5%, commerce 1.4%, manufacturing 0.7% and construction decreased 6.7%.

In this regard, it should be noted that unemployment in the Tarapacá Region decreases 0.1 points, from 8.9% a year ago to 8.8% at present, in Antofagasta, it grows 0.6 points, from 8, 2% to 8.8%, in Atacama it increased 0.3 points from 7.3% to 7.6%, while in Coquimbo it decreased 1 point, from 9.8% to 8.8%.

“As mining investment resumes strongly, this will generate a positive impact on employment, boosting its growth. We must see the future with a dose of optimism, where mining will play a key role in the development of Chile, due to the growing demand for minerals due to electromobility and clean energy, as it has done in the past, at times complexes of our history and in the last three decades,” concluded the manager of SONAMI studies.