Isee study: 1/4 of private employees in New Caledonia work related to nickel

Recently, a study by Isee showed that the nickel industry accounts for 1/4 of paid jobs in the private sector in New Caledonia, confirming the importance of the industry in the local economy. About 20 companies of different sizes in the industry mine ore on site for export or resale, three of which are also metallurgists and have world-class factories.

According to a survey just released by the Institute of Statistics and Economics ((Isee)), these companies employed 5960 people in 2019, accounting for 9 per cent of private salaried jobs. Socio é t é Le Nickel (SLN), a subsidiary of the French Eramet Group, maintains its status as the leading employer in Hong Kong.

If indirect and related jobs are added, the mining industry will account for 24 per cent of the total number of private employees in New Caledonia, or 15590 jobs. The results of this study confirm the importance of the knock-on effect of nickel on the Caledonian economy.

New Caledonia has about 11 per cent of the world's nickel reserves, an important mineral in the new market for stainless steel and electric car batteries. It represents 90 per cent of Caillou exports and 6 per cent of GDP.