It is expected labor demand for mining projects will fall 32% by 2017
– Cessation of investment projects will affect mining jobs requirements, according to a CBC report
– For the period it is observed in return a significant increase in demand for real estate workers
The uncertainty in the energy and environmental matter hard detected since last year by the private sector, began to have an impact on employment. So says a report by the Capital Goods Corporation (CBC), which based on the stock of private and public projects that have a defined schedule, made a projection of the behavior of the direct labor demand for the five years 2013 – 2017.
To make a register of the current projects applicable to the first quarter of this year, the CBC noted that the mining-which in turn is the sector that would provide jobs as the current portfolio of initiatives, posted the largest decline in projections of workers required.
If at the first quarter of last year was estimated that the activity would require a peak of 64,516 workers between 2012 and 2016, that maximum was reduced by 32% for the period between 2013 and 2017. This, according to the institution, “is explained by the output of the stock of at least six mega projects with defined schedule,” including Cerro Casale, which provided an investment of U.S. $ 5,200 million) and El Morro (U.S. $ 3,900 million).
Thus, according to the current portfolio of projects, demand for labor’s peak in mining for the period was reached in August 2017 and would amount to 43 000 jobs, mainly generated by the construction of mining sites as Expansión Andina, Quebrada Blanca, the expansion of Collahuasi and Chuquicamata underground mine, among others. Regarding the required average employment in the sector, the projection was reduced 16% in one year, from 40046-33712 workers.
To a lesser extent, the report also cut the projected demand for workers in public works, industry and ports. In contrast, predicts strong growth in real estate, which would reach a peak of 46 000 jobs (33 000 on average), and a slight increase in energy.
Overall Demand
Despite the decline in mining, employment demand in the economy in global terms this year exceeded the expected level in March 2012, says the report.
While in the first quarter of 2012 it was expected a peak of 110 680 of new workers for November 2015, the survey conducted in the same period this year showed that just then would have been peaking at 112,121 people, driven by the real state.
The projection, however, represented a decrease of 3.4%, equivalent to four thousand people in relation to the estimate given in the last quarter of last year. This places it as the second cut in a row, as the report delivered on that occasion also reduced the maximum expected (-9%).
“While this reflects the maturity and completion of projects in 2012, is also explained by the removal of the portfolio of projects because of the uncertainty regarding the results of the environmental assessment process, and the inclusion of a lower flow initiatives in the first quarter, which did not offset the previous figures, “says the CBC.
By region, the Metropolitan one would concentrate the highest averages, and also the peak-of manpower required for five years. The Atacama region was the only one which was adjusted downward the estimated maximum, with a contraction of 32%. “It is not an isolated incident, is correlated with environmental processing difficulties and rising costs of many national projects that have stalled through judicial or have been suspended by their own constituents,” notes the report.
Source: La Tercera
