News

Gender equity is a commitment to sustainability and an organizational value that aims to add value to society. To that end, SQM adopts strategies to attract women to the job market, promote them and take charge of their development within the organization.

As a result, more than 1,000 women are now working for the company, and they comprise 18% of SQM’s workforce, which exceeds the mining industry’s national average. This comes as the Special Report COVID-19 by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is warning of a setback of more than a decade in progress on labor market participation and working conditions for women in the region.

Bárbara Blumel, Deputy Manager of People at SQM, observed: “The higher percentage of women in our workforce is the result of several actions, including employability workshops in the communities surrounding our operations, the inclusion of women in the operations and maintenance areas’ Apprentice Program, and encouraging female interns with the possibility of future employment. We also offer talks at schools to motivate students in mining-related programs.”

The Apprentice Program is a highlight among these actions. Now in its seventh year, the program began at the Carmen Lithium Chemical Plant in the Antofagasta Region with 40 participants, 36% of whom were women. This year, apprentices will join the operations areas to address new challenges, like launching the new production line at the Lithium Hydroxide Plant in November. Given the program’s success at the site, we recently announced a second application process.

This year, the program is also being implemented for the first time at the Nueva Victoria Iodine site in the Tarapacá Region. Sixteen young people, six of whom are women, from nearby towns like Pozo Almonte, Alto Hospicio and Iquique will participate.

The 2022 Apprentice Program kicked off at our Nueva Victoria site and the Carmen Lithium Chemical Plant with a high percentage of female participants.