As Gold Fields evolved over the past 10 years, so has our workforce profile. The most notable manifestation of the Sibanye Gold unbundling was the dramatic decrease in our workforce by about 30,000 people. Another feature of the past decade is increased modernisation at all our mines, which has required a change in the skills level of our employees. It has therefore become critical that we repositioned ourselves to build a pipeline of talent that will strengthen the sustainability of the Group.

Attracting and retaining the right skills starts with competitive, marketrelated and performance-based remuneration while also embracing modern working practices, such as flexible work arrangements. More than this, however, it also requires continued investment in training and development to meet the future needs of an increasingly mechanised, modernising and automated mining industry. We are also responsible for ensuring a safe and healthy workplace for our people, and for being a company they can be proud of by investing in the sustainability of our operations and the welfare of the communities we impact.

Our workforce profile has also changed in other ways. As at end‑2020, contract workers across our regions accounted for about two-thirds of our total workforce. This necessitates close contractor management and ensuring that contractors align with Gold Fields’ values, policies and procedures – particularly those relating to safety, human rights and environmental management.

A second defining trend over the past decade has been the increased focus on host community employment. Members from our host communities now make up over half of our workforce, which aligns with our strategy of creating value for the communities in the regions where we operate.

Finally, our workforce has become more diverse and transformed – particularly in South Africa, where Historically Disadvantaged Persons (HDPs) are increasingly assuming a larger share of leadership positions. However, we recognise that we still have a long way to go before our workforce fully reflects the varying demographics of the countries in which we operate. To achieve this, we need to address unconscious bias in the workplace, capitalise on the value diverse perspectives bring to Gold Fields, and attract candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and host communities. While our definition of diversity extends beyond gender alone, we are aware that women only account for 20% of our employees across the Group and, therefore, enhancing gender diversity is a key focus area going forward.

WORKFORCE BY GROUP AND REGION (end-December)

	Total workforce		Employees	Contractors	Proportion of  Nationals1
	2020	2010	2020	2020	2020
Americas	4,268	346	568	3,700	98%
Australia	2,998	562	1,668	1,330	78%
South Africa	4,027	43,8222	2,226	1,801	84%
West Africa	7,003	2,538	1,063	5,940	99%
Corporate	116	98	116	0	75%
Total	18,412	47,268	5,641	12,771	86%

1	Employees only (not contractors)
2	Workforce pre-Sibanye unbundling