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Millennium and the mining industry, the impending shortage of battery metals - Mining Indaba 2020.
Tracking the trends 2019, the top 10 topics that will change the future of mining, published by Deloitte, highlighted an issue that will be familiar to many in the mining industry - the industry is struggling with a perception problem among younger people who care about want to decide a career path.
“At the moment,” says Deloitte, the mining industry is not attracting enough diverse candidates to really set the tone for its diversity and integration strategies. To improve this balance, companies need to change their strategies for attracting and retaining talent.
The results of the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2019 from the South African environment reflect the desire that young people should work in areas that have a social impact and positive change.
“The challenge for the mining companies is to rebuild their skill base and develop a workforce capable of putting the industry on the technological path it needs to stay competitive.
As 2020 begins, the African mining industry - like industry on a global scale - will continue to grapple with the generational shift in the workforce and the understanding of how to attract and retain thousands of workers annually.
Combating youth unemployment in South Africa
We are very aware of the fact that youth unemployment is indeed a national crisis, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on National Youth Day.
With an unemployment rate of 27,6% in the first quarter of 2019, the coming year will be an exciting time to see how President Ramaphosa's government can use the mining industry to reduce the high unemployment rate among young people in South Africa.
According to Stats SA, almost two thirds of the unemployed in South Africa belong to the 15-34 age group; about four out of ten young people have no job.
The Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative launched in 2018 continues its efforts to create employment opportunities for young people and could make the mining industry an integral part.
President Ramaphosa's YES initiative aims to incentivize businesses to employ younger people through tax breaks and improved ratings of black economic performance.
The impending shortage of battery metals
As the demand for electric vehicles (EV) grows and their production rate increases, companies like Tesla explain that there will likely be a shortage of the key metals required for EVs and that we cannot keep pace with this increasing demand.
From the DRC's cobalt stocks to the copper reserves offered in both the DRC and Zambia, it's no wonder these countries are being exploited for their battery metals.
In addition to cobalt and copper, lithium, nickel, graphite, manganese and rare earths are the key elements for the production of rechargeable batteries for Teslas, energy storage and iPhones.
Despite the demand for electric vehicles, investment in the companies that mine these battery metals is lagging behind and the risk of mineral shortages worldwide is increasing.
Tesla's global supply manager for battery metals, Sarah Maryssael, and automakers such as Ford Motor, Toyota and BMW have said the auto industry must invest directly in battery metal mines to secure supplies for the next three to five years.
To combat the potential shortage, companies like Ford - which plans to launch EVs in the coming year - and Samsung are looking for ways to reduce the cobalt consumption in their batteries and make EVs at affordable prices that are less of the battery-metal Are threatened with scarcity.
Mining Indaba 2020 registration
WHERE THE WORLD CONNECTS TO AFRICAN MINING ™.
The investment in African Mining Indaba is exclusively dedicated to the successful capitalization and development of mining interests in Africa. Also known as Mining Indaba. Successful for over 25 years, Mining Indaba has a unique and expanding perspective of the African mining industry, bringing together visionaries and innovators from across the spectrum. We are also committed to supporting education, career development, sustainable development and other important issues in Africa.
We want to attract more young, medium and large mining companies, more investors and, as always, the largest meeting of mining ministers in Africa. We are not going to slow down and bring you an even bigger mining Indaba in 2020. We may even surprise you with one or two presidents! Combined with improved business matchmaking and the expanded IR team, this means meeting with your next business partner has become easier.
Meet everyone who is anyone from the world's greatest industrial giants to the barrier breakers of tomorrow. Everyone who is anyone is there for you to get in touch with you and learn from you - and thus change the development of your company.
Mining Indaba is the space where long-range networking is essential and the opportunities and conversations are endless to get one deal at a time.
ISE / Arndt Uhlendorff - January 2020
