"The mining industry's skills shortage is like going through a `perfect storm`; it's been building for the past decade and, over the next few years is going to get worse," so said Russ Buckland, managing director of the Canada-based Bedford Consulting Group, a leading global executive recruitment specialist at a speech to mining executives last year.

At the time Russ considered the shortage to be affecting not just mining executives and professionals but also drillers, engineers and mine managers.

Less than 12 months on and Russ feels things are just as bad...if not worse.

"The situation, if anything, has gotten worse. The industry still continues to suffer from a shortage of qualified people. Projects are coming on-board and projects are being delayed," he said.

In an industry that has seen some high-profile consolidation in recent years fewer companies does not necessarily mean more executives looking for work.

"It doesn't mean they are available for hire - they get their packages and disappear."

When asked what the future holds Russ is adament a cultural mind-shift must take place.

"In the short-term, it means there will more competition for the best talent and compensation will go up. In the long term the industry needs to think hard about it attracts young people.

"They will need to think about staffing on a non-cyclical basis - rather than boom and bust you need to think about how you retain your core people. The question for the industry is are we going to learn from this shortage?," he added.

What do you think about Russ' comments? Are they valid? Why not write in and let us hear your views?

Also writing in this week was UK-based Fergus Anckorn, who works as a technical director for a large multi-national consultancy firm.

"There is a skills shortage but as nature abhors a vacuum, so that shortage IS being overcome by several means," said Fergus.
He cited extending the 'sell-by date' of older workers as one way the industry is fighting to keep ahead.

"There are lots of 70+ people out there now, who ten years ago would have retired to the golf course."

Fergus also highlighted the trend for accepting people from allied industries or with similar skills, such as civil engineering, for investing in people from developing countries and for 'milking' university student intakes.

All of the methods mentioned can obviously work but none could be classified as a positive and sustainable method of recruiting long-term.

What do you think? Are you trawling the back catalogue down in HR in an attempt to fill that year-old field geologist position or do you have processes in place to avoid getting caught in the trap?

However, while the idea of a shortage may resonate with our previous correspondents, Andrew Doyle would probably beg to differ. He has 16 years experience as a mining engineer working in the UK, South Africa and Australia but, after leaving the industry in 2001 during the cyclical down turn, he is finding it difficult to re-enter - despite flying as far as Australia for an interview.

"I am finding it difficult to break back into the industry via the 'all controlling agencies' - apparently I've been out too long!"

When asked why he didn't apply direct to the companies themselves Andrew said his experience was that many didn't accept speculative CVs.

Andrew also believes advances in technology may count against him.

"My gut feeling is the jobs have become far too specialised, mainly due to specific software packages and, as a result, companies are simply not prepared to put up with some kind of learning on the job which is inevitable."

Although Andrew intends to keep on trying for jobs at those companies which do accept direct applications, his predicament does beg the question - what sort of shortage are we facing that a man with 16 years experience who is prepared to fly to Australia for an interview is told 'sorry, you've been out too long?'