Mining expansion to create 100 000 jobs

Source: Mining expansion to create 100 000 jobs – herald

Oliver Kazunga

Senior Reporter

ZIMBABWE’S formal mining industry is projected to create up to 100 000 jobs over the next five years, aligning with Vision 2030 goals, with nearly half of the new posts expected to be filled by engineers and other critical technical professionals.

The forecast points to a sharp rise in both operational scale and technical complexity across the mining industry, driven by new investment in gold, lithium, platinum and chrome, as well as a stronger push towards beneficiation and value addition.

Under Vision 2030, the Second Republic is seeking to transform the country into an upper middle-income economy with mining identified as a key driver anchored on beneficiation, local value addition and increasing the sector’s contribution to employment and export earnings.

At present, the formal mining sector employs about 60 000 people, making it one of the country’s largest formal employers and a key pillar of economic activity.

According to the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (CoMZ), mining contributes about 14,5 percent to Gross Domestic Product, generates an estimated US$7,7 billion in output, accounts for around 20 percent (US$1,7 billion) of fiscal revenues, and earns more than 45 percent (US$8 billion) of Zimbabwe’s foreign currency inflows.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Association of Pension Funds (ZAPF) Annual Conference held in Victoria Falls recently, CoMZ chief executive officer Mr Isaac Kwesu said the sector’s expansion is driving unprecedented demand for skilled labour.

“The formal mining industry requires at least 100 000 people in the next five years, with nearly half being critical skills, specifically engineers,” said Mr Kwesu.

In 2025, he said, the mining industry expanded by 7,3 percent underpinned by strong performances in gold, coal, and platinum group metals (PGMs) and this year the sector is projected to grow by 10 percent.

Zimbabwe is on the verge of a major mineral export boom, with export earnings projected to surge to at least US$21 billion within the next two years as the Government intensifies the drive for value addition and beneficiation.

The country recorded over US$16 billion in foreign currency receipts last year — the highest since Independence — a sharp rise from the US$5,5 billion realised in 2017 before the advent of the Second Republic.

In a recent interview, economist Mr Persistence Gwanyanya, who is also a member of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), said the projected surge reflects both new mining projects and expansion of existing operations, as Zimbabwe strengthens its position in global mineral supply chains amid rising demand for strategic minerals.

“The surge in labour demand is a direct response to a new investment cycle in mining, driven by rising global demand for strategic minerals such as lithium, platinum and gold.

“As existing operations expand and new projects come on stream, Zimbabwe is being integrated more deeply into global supply chains — but this growth will only be sustainable if it is matched by investment in skills, infrastructure and energy reliability,” he said.

The projected labour demand is expected to intensify competition for skilled labour, particularly in engineering disciplines, as mining companies adopt more mechanised and technologically advanced production systems.