Strategic Intelligence: The Future of Work in Mining (2025)

Strategic Intelligence: The Future of Work in Mining (2025)

Summary

Mining companies are investing in future of work technologies to enhance productivity, safety, cost efficiency, and mineral discovery. The impact of future of work technologies in mining is alreadysignificant and will only grow in the coming years.

The future of work will transform mining

The technologies comprising GlobalData’s future of work framework are revolutionizing the mining sector. Automation can enhance productivity and safety by removing workers from hazardous environments and operating continuously. Visualization tools improve mine mapping, training, and mineral deposit identification. Connectivity allows teams to communicate, while AI platforms enable predictive mining equipment maintenance.

The geographical remoteness of mines and safety concerns have contributed to a severe skills shortage in the mining industry. According to a 2022 McKinsey survey, 86% of mining executives struggle to recruit and retain skilled workers. Future of work technologies can enhance training, equipment usability, and safety in mining, ultimately improving its image to prospective workers.

The future of mining is automated

Working in the mining sector will, and already does, involve using automated equipment across all points of the mining process. Automated or remote-controlled equipment can drill blast boreholes without human intervention. Autonomous trucks can take ore from sites to processing facilities, and autonomous trains can take the finished product to ports hundreds of kilometers away.

Future of work technologies are making mining safer

According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, there were 31 mining fatalities in the US in 2024. While this was down from 41 in 2023, mining remains extremely dangerous. Future of work technologies play a crucial role in improving safety in mining by automating many dangerous jobs inside mines. Visualization technologies enhance employee training by realistically simulating underground working conditions. AI-powered wearable sensors can continuously monitor mine workers for signs of drowsiness, fatigue, and physical discomfort, enabling proactive measures to remove workers at heightened risk of accidents.

The technologies comprising GlobalData’s future of work framework are revolutionizing the mining sector. Automation can enhance productivity and safety by removing workers from hazardous environments and operating continuously. Visualization tools improve mine mapping, training, and mineral deposit identification. Connectivity allows teams to communicate, while AI platforms enable predictive mining equipment maintenance.

Key Highlights

• Mining companies must prioritize investment in several areas of the future of work framework to remain competitive. Regarding automation, drones, autonomous haulage systems (AHSs), autonomous or remote-controlled mining equipment, and robots are already being adopted to improve productivity and safety. These technologies reduce costs in the long run and prevent workplace accidents by reducing the time workers spend in dangerous environments. AHS removes human error and fatigue from ore haulage while increasing productivity through constant availability.
• Printing allows mining companies to print equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE), supporting more efficient inventory management closer to home. Workflow automation also assists mining companies by informing decision-making and optimizing resource allocation while automating repetitive tasks.
• Visualization is another key investment opportunity for mining companies. Digital twins of mining sites help companies test new methodologies and plan schedules while allowing for predictive maintenance, ultimately optimizing the mining process.
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platforms allow for more realistic visual simulations, resulting in workers who are better prepared for emergency scenarios like cave-ins and malfunctions.
• Connectivity is a must-have for all mining sites. Developing internet capabilities in mines is vital for communication between workers aboveground and underground, as it can improve response time to accidents and malfunctions. Underground internet also makes operations more efficient by optimizing the mining process through real-time monitoring of connected devices such as drills, trucks, and wearables. Better connectivity through 5G facilitates automation as the range of autonomous trucks increases proportionally to connectivity levels on a mine site. Historically, mining companies have struggled to implement sufficient internet due to the remoteness of many mines and the accompanying lack of infrastructure.

• This report provides an overview of the future of work theme and how it will impact the mining industry.
• The report predicts how the future of work in mining will evolve, including the key challenges it will solve.
• It includes selected case studies highlighting who is innovating in mining using future of work technologies
• The report also includes a comprehensive data analysis, including market size and growth forecasts for the future of work.

• GlobalData’s thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors.
• This report is essential for senior executives at minining companies to understand the critical benefits from integrating future of work technology into their operations. Mining companies who fail to implement future of work solutions will fall behind.
• In addition, the report identifies the leading future of work adopters in mining, as well as specialist tech vendors in this space.