Published on July 17, 2020
Seeking feedback and listening to the community is an important part of our culture at Midas Gold. So naturally, we wanted to hear from you as we started more detailed planning for future jobs with the company. Over the last few months, we’ve partnered with the Stibnite Advisory Council to conduct a workforce survey.
The survey is designed to give both of us valuable information on who may be interested in jobs with Midas Gold, their thoughts on job training and shifts up at site, where they may live and how many people are in their immediate family unit.
Survey Participants
Members of the Stibnite Advisory Council have shared the survey with local residents and community groups, while we have posted it across social media and sent emails to elicit responses. So far, we’ve had close to 150 individuals take the survey. Most of the participants have been from Idaho, but we’ve had respondents from Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Washington, California and as far away as North Carolina.
It is important to note that the survey remains open and we will continue to analyze trends as more interested people respond. For now, however, here is a little of what we are seeing in the data:
- More than 80 percent of the people taking the survey are currently employed and 55 percent have a bachelor’s or advanced degree.
- Eight out of ten people taking the survey have indicated they are interested in working on the Stibnite Gold Project in the future.
- Of those interested in working at site, 70 percent said they would apply for positions during all phases of the project.
- Many of the individuals who took our survey already have experience for the types of positions we plan to hire, such as mine operations, engineering, environmental restoration, administration and equipment operators.
- Almost everyone who took the survey supported some level of job training for the positions up at site. Sixty-five percent said they would be willing to complete a month-long training program, while close to 22 percent said they would even be willing to obtain an advanced degree if necessary.
Housing
We know from our conversations with the community that many people are concerned about housing in the West Central Mountains. Housing availability in some communities is already limited and there are some concerns about where people would go if there was an influx of individuals all deciding to relocate to the area around the same time.
So, we decided to ask individuals who are interested in positions with Midas Gold where they may live if they got a job with the company. If the Stibnite Gold Project moves forward, Midas Gold will create 500 direct, well-paying jobs. The positions up at site would work in two-week on two-week off shifts to provide employees with the most flexibility on where they could live, whereas those at the logistics will be regular jobs with employees going home after each shift. Following are their responses:
- Over 70 percent of the survey respondents say they would commute to the project instead of relocating to the counties closest to the site, including 25 percent who already live in Valley, Adams, Idaho or Boise County and another 19 percent who live outside of Idaho.
- Only 22 percent of the individuals who took the survey said they would move to Valley, Adams, Idaho or Boise County to work on the project. Of that 22 percent, half said they would only move with one other adult and 37 percent said they would bring school-aged children with them.
Relocation Priorities
When asked what was most important to them when considering relocating, recreational opportunities came out on top with housing availability a close second. Employment counseling and good public school options also ranked in the top four, but were valued nowhere near as high as recreational opportunities. As we know, Idahoans love the outdoors!
Next Steps
If you have ever thought about working for Midas Gold, we encourage you to take the survey. Your input will help influence our plans for the future and make sure we are taking the right considerations as we determine shifts up at site and evaluate our future employees’ potential impact on the communities nearest to the project. To everyone who has already completed the survey, thank you! We’ve enjoyed reviewing your responses and appreciate your thoughtful input.
