Caraga mining sector likely to create 15,000 new jobs

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz sees the mining sector in Caraga generating 15,000 new jobs as private mining firms establish a nickel mining and processing plant in the region. The mining sector jobs include civil engineers, geologists, soil analysts, and skilled workers such as excavation and exploration workers, miners, and heavy equipment operators. The jobs will likely come from the nickel processing plant of mining giant Taganito Mining Corp. and the entry of two large mining companies in Surigao del Norte, Baldoz said. Caraga community members should undergo skills training so they can get jobs when the mining companies start operating in the provinces, the secretary suggested. Caraga, a region in northeastern Mindanao, is composed of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. — PE/VS, GMA