FiFoDiDo Editorial · 9 October 2026
South Africa's Mining Industry Says It Could Add Up to 100,000 Jobs by 2035. Here's What Has to Happen First
The Minerals Council's new growth strategy puts a number on the jobs at stake. It's a projection, not a vacancy list, and it depends on investment decisions that haven't been made yet.
South Africa's mining industry has put a number on what growth could mean for jobs. Whether the number turns into work comes down to investment decisions that haven't been made yet.
What the industry is saying
The Minerals Council South Africa launched an Investment and Growth Strategy on 7 October. It estimates that if mining grew by 3% a year, the sector would add around R65 billion to the country's GDP and support between 50,000 and 100,000 extra jobs by 2035.
Treat that as a projection. It's an estimate in an industry strategy, not a list of vacancies or a hiring commitment.
The catch
The Council says about R70 billion of investment is committed and ready to go. But most of it is aimed at keeping output where it is today, not growing it. Keeping production steady protects existing jobs, but it doesn't create many new ones.
The Council's president, Paul Dunne, also pointed to some hard numbers:
- Production is still below where it was more than 20 years ago.
- Exploration spending has fallen by 80% over the past two decades.
- South Africa attracts less than 1% of global exploration money.
What's holding investment back
According to the Council, the main problems aren't the rocks. They're the things around the mine: logistics, electricity and water infrastructure, crime and illegal mining, and uncertainty about policy and approvals.
The strategy is tied to a government and business partnership. Its first target is to unlock more than R50 billion of capital spending by February 2028 by clearing administrative bottlenecks. A national mining cadastre, the system that records mineral rights, is due by March 2027.
Where the jobs would come from
Mining jobs follow project stages. As a general guide (this is how projects work, not a list of South African vacancies):
- Exploration and feasibility: geologists, drillers, surveyors and environmental specialists.
- Construction: project engineers, electricians, boilermakers, riggers and civil crews.
- Commissioning and operations: operators, maintainers, metallurgists and control-room staff.
- Supply and services: logistics, equipment support, training and contractors.
The jobs appear when projects move from announcement to approval to construction. Mine extensions that keep an operation running for longer also support jobs that already exist.
What to do now
- Watch real projects, not just headline numbers. Feasibility studies, mine extensions and contract awards tell you more than a forecast. Our piece on WA's $50 billion project pipeline shows how to follow a pipeline.
- Keep your tickets and training current, and note the projects and equipment you've worked on.
- Match your experience to the project stage you're after. Construction, commissioning and shutdowns each need different people.
- Research the employer before you apply: the commodity, the location and how they staff their sites.
- Look at live roles. On our jobs page you can filter by country and set up an alert so new roles reach you.
Sources