A BHP potash operation in Canada has become the first operationally focussed workforce to achieve gender balance.
The Jansen project in Saskatchewan has achieved 43.8 per cent female representation at the end of the 2023 financial year. When including functional roles that directly support potash, total female representation rises to 57.4 per cent.
Women also make up 40 per cent of leadership roles across potash.
Comparatively, female representation across the mining industry in Canada at large sits at just 14 per cent, making Jansen a standout in its field.
“The desire behind building a workforce in Canada that reflects the communities we’re part of is really very simple,” BHP potash president Simon Thomas said.
“We all benefit from an inclusive and diverse workforce that values safety, productivity and wellbeing.
“That’s what gender balance helps us achieve and it supports our ambitions in Canada to be an employer and partner of choice.”
BHP’s focus now shifts to maintaining gender balance in the lead-up to first production and achieving 20 per cent Indigenous representation in the Jansen workforce by the end the 2026 financial year.
BHP forecasts Jansen to have an initial production capacity of 4.35 million tonnes of potash per year, which would raise Canada’s potash output by a whopping 22 per cent.
Canada lists potash as a critical mineral. It is an essential input in nutrient-rich soils required for global food security.