A few weeks earlier in Perth, the consensus on the night was that companies who perform strongly in the community, environment, and diversity spaces will attract much of the next generation of workers and incentivise them to stay for the long term.
In Sydney and Melbourne, the conversation centered around the industry’s marketing practices, with speakers discussing various ideas on how gold companies can find the right message to connect with Gen Z.
It’s a conversation that’s vital for the industry to have, considering 75 per cent of the workforce will comprise of this cohort by 2030.
This sentiment was echoed by GIG Chair and Gold Fields Australia Vice President: Legal & Corporate Affairs Kelly Carter, who opened the night at the Untied Rooftop in Sydney by touching on the current labour challenges and the importance of looking toward the next wave of talent.
“While these challenges are not unique to the gold industry, there is an opportunity for us to find our collective voice and position ourselves as an industry of choice among younger generations,” said Ms Carter.
In Sydney, University of New South Wales Mining Engineering Graduate Phoebe McAuliffe, who is a proud member of Gen Z herself, kicked off the night’s pitches by saying gold companies needed to modernise their marketing strategies and tap into influencers to cut through ‘boring’ corporate messaging.