America’s Miners Make EVs and Future Energy Possible

What You Need to Know:

• December 6^th is National Miners Day – a time to recognize the men and women who provide raw materials we depend on.
• To meet growing mineral demands, the mining industry will need to recruit the next generation of talent.

Letter From The President and CEO:

Each December, our country celebrates National Miners Day to recognize the hard-working men and women who belong to America’s mining community. Their talent and dedication provide the minerals and metals that entire sectors of our economy rely upon. The USGS estimates that the mineral resources produced by the mining industry are transformed into goods and services that generate 15 percent of the national GDP and support more than 1.2 million high-paying jobs.

As nations push for climate-based energy solutions and economies continue to electrify, the demand for mineral-heavy technologies will grow exponentially. In the U.S., the drive for a careful energy transition and plans to overhaul our country’s infrastructure will require more minerals being produced each year than ever previously thought possible; this increasing demand inevitably goes hand-in-hand with remarkable career opportunities.

From Alaska to North Carolina, mining companies are eager to recruit a diverse and talented employee base across a variety of areas. Given the extensive time and effort that goes into locating, planning, permitting, developing, producing and processing minerals, there is a wide range of high-paying job opportunities paying an average salary of over $80,000.

Mining is a tech-focused industry that utilizes autonomy, mobility, active safety, and advanced data and analytics to improve mine safety and productivity and minimize environmental impacts. These capabilities require a tech-savvy workforce, but competing for talent is a challenge for any industry. From grant funding to cutting-edge research programs, the mining industry needs bright minds and forward-thinking ideas. Because of this, many companies are offering benefits such as development and training opportunities, including leadership training; hiring and retention bonuses; daycare; recruitment programs for active and former military personnel; and a focus on a values-based culture.

Most importantly, the mining industry is helping provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Providing the raw materials essential to future energy and technology innovation, miners are making positive contributions to society and the communities in which they live and work.

Whether we’re electrifying the transportation system or creating new energy, the world’s growing demand for minerals means the mining workforce will need to grow with it.

Policymakers can help support and grow high-paying job opportunities in mining by rejecting policies that obstruct domestic mining. Language under consideration by the Senate as part of the reconciliation bill would limit access to valuable public lands needed to meet our future mineral needs. The fewer obstacles that prevent responsible domestic mining, the more high-paying, innovation-supporting jobs the industry can create each year. As we close the year by celebrating our nation’s miners, join our industry in helping create jobs that benefit our economy, future technologies and all Americans.

Thank you,
Rich Nolan
NMA President and CEO