SQM Expects to Reach its 20% Female Workforce Target in 2021

Achieving gender equity and promoting greater participation and retention of women at all levels of the organization is a priority at SQM. Seventeen percent of SQM’s workforce is female, a figure that exceeds the mining industry’s national average. As we celebrate Women’s Month, the target of a 20% female workforce by the end of the year gains momentum.

Per the Sustainability Plan and its policies on Human Resources and Inclusiveness and Diversity, SQM aims to create heterogeneous teams. It also aims to continually increase female workforce participation, promote work-life balance in order to retain female workers, and encourage career development to create access to management and decision-making positions.

“We are a diverse, multidisciplinary team comprised of men and women of different ages and nationalities who contribute their skills to the company’s overall development. We are proud that women make up 17% of our workforce, one of the highest percentages in the Chilean mining industry. We are working toward 20% by the end of 2021. Our gender equity strategy has been to develop performance indicators that apply to selection processes. We require that a certain percentage of candidates be women with the profile and skills the job requires. Through this methodology, we have recruited women in positions and operating areas where women had not previously been present,” highlighted Bárbara Blümel, Deputy Manager of People at SQM.

The executive added, “Our strategy also focuses on professional development for female employees. We have women who began at mid-level positions and have worked their way up to senior executive positions. We have also hired women in maintenance and operations areas at our sites. This is a cultural change within the company because these positions used to only be held by men.”

Team diversity is a reality at different operations, as noted by Yarela Cabrito, an employee who began at a small iodine mine and is now SQM’s first female electro mechanic. She works in the Maintenance area at Nueva Victoria, where she performs different on-site tasks and stands out for her skills, commitment and team spirit.

“When I found out I was the first woman in the maintenance area, I felt my chest puff out. I still feel that proud feeling. It is a milestone at the company and a personal achievement. The message I have for women is: If you dream of working in an area that is supposedly for men, don’t think twice about it. That is a thing of the past. This is a new era; we can do it. I always said I would make it, and that is what I expect,” said Yarela.