Researchers at iCRAG, the SFI Research Centre for Applied Geosciences, have today unveiled results on the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the minerals sector workforce. Published in the Society of Economic Geology’s Discovery, the results revealed that the COVID19 pandemic had a significant impact on people in the minerals sector by the end of April 2020, less than six months after the first cases occurred and within seven weeks of the declaration of a pandemic.
Geographically, the greatest impact on employment was in Africa, and more often younger respondents reported lost jobs where as older workers reported reduced working hours. Those working in mineral exploration were most affected, but the impact across base, industrial, and precious metals was broadly similar for all participants.
On the survey’s publication, lead author and iCRAG Director Prof.Murray Hitzman said, “Our survey delivers insight into the effects of COVID-19on the minerals sector workforce at an important point in time during an unprecedented worldwide event. Capturing the experiences and perceptions of workers provides a perspective at a personal-level, and is a timely reminder that this pandemic affects us all individually as well as on a societal-scale”
The full article is open access and is available to read here.