The demand of professionals in the engineering field is growing on a global level, and Chile is no exception. On the contrary, the country needs more young people in technical programs to support the development of certain industries.

The advancement of new technologies has changed the most demanded professions. Given a future signed by automation and the development of robotics, programs linked to engineering and technology shall be the most wanted on a global level. In Chile, Mining Engineers will be the most demanded professionals. As a matter of fact, it is the bets paid profession nowadays.

According to data from the Ministry of Education’s (Mineduc) website, Portal Mi Futuro, 12 of the 20 best paid professions in the country belong to the area on Engineering. The best paid is Mining Civil Engineer, which can reach around a USD 3,800 wage during the first year upon graduation.

Data from Mineduc shows that, after five years upon graduation, Mining Engineers remain the best paid, with an average annual wage of USD 7,280.

According to data from the Technical Training Centers (CFT), Mining and Metallurgy Technicians are the best paid.

What is the reason for professions linked to Mining Engineer being so well paid in Chile? There are a number of explanations.

The computer and mobile phone industries are the main customers of mining products. Due to the growth of these industries, miners have more work to do, and they need Mining Engineers who can lead their projects.

The demand is such that it can be said that mining degrees have an almost 100% employability rate.

The mining field has major foreign capital investments, which get licenses to work in Chile and provide employment to local professionals. This notoriously increases wages. The interest of foreign companies is explained by the fact that 27% of the global copper production came from Chile in 2016.

Chile needs 600,000 to 700,000 technicians to fil the demand expectations of the current market. To change this reality, students must chose to be educated at CFTs. One of the areas that shows the largest deficit is mining. Scarcity of technical profiles forces companies to pay really high wages to retain professionals.