As it faces a challenging commodities market, Vale has had a hiring freeze in place at its Sudbury operations since January, the company said.
“It’s clear 2016 is going to be an extremely challenging year for us given the state of the market and prolonged downturn in commodity prices,” said Vale spokesperson Angie Robson. “We are under tremendous pressure to reduce our costs as much as we can through this increasingly challenging market cycle without compromising our values on safety, health and the environment.”
Robson said that even before the hiring freeze was introduced in January, hiring in Sudbury remained selective.
She added the one exception to the hiring freeze has been “for roles that are critical to run the business safely and productively.”
The price of nickel sat around US$3.75 a pound Feb. 18, compared to a high surpassing $12 a pound in February 2011.
Despite the downturn in the commodities market, Vale has continued to invest in its $1-billion Clean AER Project to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions at the Copper Cliff smelter by 85 per cent.
