Peru Mining Employment Tops 291,000 in June, Up 11.1% on Year
Peru · MINING
Key Facts
- —What happened Peru mining employment reached an average of 291,044 direct jobs in June 2026, up 11.1% year on year, according to MINEM.
- —How big Arequipa was the top regional employer with 44,643 workers, 15.3% of the national total.
- —The catch Women held just 24,055 of the jobs, or 8.3%, against 91.7% for men.
- —Who pays Mining companies and contractor firms; contractors accounted for 72.8% of total employment.
- —What comes next MINEM will publish July figures in its next Boletín Estadístico Minero.
Mining payrolls grew 11.1% in June as contractor firms added jobs and Arequipa kept its lead among regions.
Direct employment in Peru’s mining sector averaged 291,044 workers in June 2026, up 11.1% from the same month of 2025, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) said in a press release on 24 August 2026. The figures come from the ministry’s Boletín Estadístico Minero. Peru mining employment also grew 6.4% on average in the first half of 2026 compared with January-June 2025.
Peru Mining Employment Reached 291,044 in June
The Boletín Estadístico Minero, the ministry’s statistical bulletin, put average direct employment at 291,044 workers in June 2026. The year-on-year increase of 11.1% outpaced the average growth recorded for the first half of the year.
For the first half of 2026, average direct employment was 6.4% higher than in the same period of 2025, MINEM said. The half-year figure confirms that job creation in mining extended beyond a single strong month.
The ministry released the data in a press statement dated 24 August 2026. The bulletin tracks workers employed directly by mining companies and by the contractor and related firms that provide services to the sector.
The June reading is the latest monthly figure in the ministry’s statistical series, which is compiled for the country’s mining industry as a whole.
Based on the published figures, the 11.1% annual increase represents roughly 29,000 more direct jobs than in June 2025.
The ministry’s figures cover direct employment only, not the indirect jobs generated around mining activity.
MINEM published the June data as part of its regular monthly reporting on the mining sector.
Arequipa Leads the Regional Breakdown
Arequipa remained the largest regional employer in Peru’s mining industry, with 44,643 workers in June. The southern region accounted for 15.3% of total direct employment nationwide.
La Libertad, in northern Peru, ranked second with 24,813 workers, equivalent to 8.5% of the total. Ica, on the southern coast, followed with 24,535 workers, or 8.4%.
Together, the three leading regions concentrated 32.2% of all direct mining jobs in the country. The rest of the workforce was spread across Peru’s other mining regions.
The bulletin’s regional table ranks every region by the number of direct mining workers reported for the month.
Arequipa’s 44,643 workers put it well ahead of the second-placed region: its 15.3% share is nearly double that of La Libertad.
La Libertad and Ica posted similar totals, separated by fewer than 300 workers.
The regional ranking reflects where large-scale mining operations and their service providers are based.
Contractors Drive the Job Growth
Contractor companies and related firms accounted for 72.8% of direct mining jobs in June. Employment at those firms grew 15.3% compared with June 2025.
Mining companies themselves employed the remaining 27.2% of the workforce. Their payrolls grew 1.3% year on year, well below the pace of contractor hiring.
The gap shows that most new Peru mining employment is being created by firms that supply services to mine operators rather than by the operators themselves.
The ministry counts workers at contractor and related firms separately from those on mining companies’ own payrolls.
Contractor and related firms now account for nearly three-quarters of the direct mining workforce, according to the bulletin.
Contracting covers a wide range of activities, from drilling and transport to camp services, all counted within the ministry’s employment survey.
Women Hold 8.3% of Mining Jobs
Women held 24,055 direct mining jobs in June, equivalent to 8.3% of the total. Men accounted for 266,989 positions, or 91.7%.
The figures mean that fewer than one in ten direct mining jobs in Peru is held by a woman, according to the ministry’s breakdown.
The bulletin disaggregates the employment data by sex, region and type of employer each month, allowing comparisons over time.
No other category in the bulletin shows as uneven a split as employment by sex.
The 8.3% share for women is calculated over the total of 291,044 direct jobs recorded in June.
The ministry’s gender breakdown accompanies the regional and employer-type data in each edition of the bulletin.
First-Half Growth Held Up Before the June Jump
The 6.4% increase in average employment during the first half of 2026 shows that hiring held up across the period, not only in June. The 11.1% June reading indicates the pace quickened toward mid-year.
Peru mining employment figures are drawn from the Boletín Estadístico Minero, the ministry’s monthly statistical publication, and are followed by companies, unions and regional governments.
The next bulletin will show whether the mid-year increase carried into July, when companies typically update their staffing plans for the second half of the year.
The Boletín Estadístico Minero is published by the ministry and its findings are cited by industry media such as Rumbo Minero and MineríaPerú.
For now, the June data leave Peru mining employment at one of its highest readings in the series published by the ministry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people does Peru’s mining sector employ?
Peru mining employment averaged 291,044 direct workers in June 2026, up 11.1% from June 2025, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
Which Peruvian region has the most mining jobs?
Arequipa leads with 44,643 workers, or 15.3% of the national total, followed by La Libertad with 24,813 and Ica with 24,535.
What share of Peru’s mining jobs are with contractors?
Contractors and related firms account for 72.8% of direct mining employment, and their payrolls grew 15.3% year on year in June 2026.
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