Diversity

By sourcing employees from a wide range of backgrounds, we benefit from a range of experience, insight and skill

Strategies have been implemented across our sites to increase workforce participation amongst women including flexible working arrangements such as job sharing and shift rosters within school hours.

The overall proportion of women in our workforce decreased from nine per cent in 2008 to seven per cent in 2009. This is largely reflective of a challenging economic period and changes to our operating plans which saw a freeze on recruitment and a number of people leaving the business.

We seek to increase Indigenous employment levels in the business through direct employment strategies, working with suppliers and contractors to employ Indigenous people, and supporting the development of Indigenous owned enterprises to provide services to our operations. Indigenous people currently represent about two per cent of our workforce.

In 2009 we employed 40 graduates and vacation students as part of the Rio Tinto graduate development and vacation student programmes. The graduate programme features a range of development activities designed to prepare graduates for future leadership roles and to build their technical competency. The vacation programme is a key recruiting pipeline for the graduate programme.

We seek to increase Indigenous employment levels in the business through direct employment strategies, working with suppliers and contractors to employ Indigenous people, and supporting the development of Indigenous owned enterprises to provide services to our operations. Indigenous people currently represent about two per cent of our workforce.

In 2009 we employed 40 graduates and vacation students as part of the Rio Tinto graduate development and vacation student programmes. The graduate programme features a range of development activities designed to prepare graduates for future leadership roles and to build their technical competency. The vacation programme is a key recruiting pipeline for the graduate programme.