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Beyond the Mine

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Communities & People

Beyond the Mine: Building Businesses, Careers and Economic Resilience

A job is more than a paycheck. A business contract is more than a transaction. When done right, both are catalysts for long-term, sustainable economic growth. That is why Barrick prioritizes local hiring, indigenous employment and business partnerships that extend well beyond our operations.

At every site, we ask: How do we create lasting economic momentum? The answer is not just in the number of jobs created or contracts awarded. It is in breaking the barriers and the ‘poverty of expectation’ that hold communities back, whether it is limited access to capital, training or business networks. Our role is to shift that reality by investing in people, businesses and skills.

There is also a practical reason why hiring locally matters – mines are remote. In a world where fewer people want to leave their families, uproot their lives and work far from home, hiring locally ensures that skilled workers can have high-quality jobs without sacrificing their community, support networks or quality of life. It creates a stable, long-term workforce that is more likely to stay, grow and develop with the business, rather than leave for the next opportunity in a city or abroad.

That means that hiring locally is not just a social commitment, it is a business advantage. When we hire and train local workers, we build a more committed, resilient and invested workforce. When we prioritize local procurement, we help develop stronger, more competitive national industries. Together, these ensure that economic benefits stay in-country, communities thrive and our operations have a stable, engaged workforce for the long run.
 

Scaling Local Talent and Enterprise

Across our operations, we identify top talent, nurture entrepreneurs and open doors for small businesses. This means:

  • Turning host country employees into future leaders through training, mentorship and skills development.
  • Helping small businesses scale by connecting them to resources, training and markets beyond Barrick.
  • Using procurement as a force for growth, ensuring that local businesses are not just suppliers but thriving enterprises with world- class capabilities.
     

Making a Measurable Difference

In 2024, 97% of our employees and 76% of senior site management were host country nationals. We spent $1.6 billion with suppliers in communities closest to our operations and $7.1 billion with local and host country suppliers overall.

Initiatives such as Emprende Alto and our support for Kenge Workwear are illustrations of these efforts.

But the real impact is not in the numbers, it is in what those investments enable. A school is more than a building, it is where teachers are trained, students learn and grow, and where graduation rates rise. Similarly, a clinic hospital is not just a facility, it is where doctors have the right tools and equipment, nurses receive support and where healthcare reaches those who need it most.
 

From Transactions to Transformations

The biggest success stories often start small; a single entrepreneur, a skilled apprentice, a business that scales beyond our supply chain. That is why we invest not just in infrastructure, but in people who will drive their own success.

Each year, we track and capture these stories to measure progress and ensure that the impact we create today continues to grow tomorrow. Some of these stories are available on our website

Management approach: Sustainable supply chains

Management approach: Sustainable supply chains

Policies and procedures

As set out in our Sustainable Development Policy and our Social Performance Policy we see our supply chain as a powerful lever for the achievement of our sustainability strategy. By sourcing goods and services from the local communities and countries in which we operate, we contribute to local economic development and facilitate the development of thriving and self-sustaining businesses, which are able to succeed long after our operations have ceased.

We require all our suppliers, regardless of location, to meet the high standards we set for ourselves. To drive this, our standard contracts include clauses that commit vendors to uphold our core sustainability policies, including our:

Procurement

Where goods and skills are available, we prioritize the use of local suppliers.

To ensure benefits remain in our host countries, we require at least 51% equity ownership of a local supplier by a host country citizen and that at least 80% of executive and senior management positions at the supplier are filled by host country nationals.

If  the products or quality we require are not immediately available in our host communities, we identify vendors in the province or wider region and then our host country, before looking to international companies. We also take a longer-term view and our site supply teams work to build capacity and improve standards at local companies either through mentorship programs, skills and business training opportunities, or by providing loans to cover the cost of the materials needed.

Hiring

We prioritize the provision of job opportunities for our local communities and host countries.  It helps reinforce our social license to operate, and local and Indigenous employees also bring diversity and give our operations a better understanding of local customs, cultural practices, and the impact our activities on host communities.

All our operations have localisation plans, and we work to identify top talent in communities and to provide them with world-class training, and mentorship programs to help them grow and develop into leaders at our operations or valued suppliers with world class standards.

Managing supply chain risk

To manage supply chain risk, as part of our due diligence and vendor on-boarding standards, we make sure our suppliers meet our standards and in order to identify potential risks, our process includes:

  • Pre-contract due diligence – We conduct due diligence on potential vendors to understand their business and risk profile. The due diligence process examines financial health, capability in the industry, human rights protection, safety, environmental management and any history of malpractice. Our checks include prohibited party, political exposure, as well as anti-bribery and anti-corruption screening. For any potential or actual high-risk suppliers, we conduct additional reviews and advanced due diligence as needed. Post-engagement operating controls are implemented where required. These controls may include specific training for our high-risk vendors, additional clauses included in agreements or enhanced invoice reviews. We define high-risk suppliers as those where we anticipate a large spend; working in certain high-risk industries (such as customs, intermediaries, or immigration); based in high-risk jurisdictions and who are linked to, referred by or controlled by government officials or entities.

  • Ongoing monitoring - For the full life of a contract, our site and regional procurement teams work with our vendors to identify, evaluate and manage risks before they happen. We undertake periodic vendor recertification based on a rotating and risk-based schedule. For our largest or high-risk vendors, checks and risk assessments may be undertaken annually, depending on the risk profile. Our onboarding process also includes checks for automated ongoing sanctions, political exposure, legal and regulatory violation for all active vendors.

Key targets and metrics

  • Percentage of workforce who are host nationals
  • Percentage of senior management who are host nationals
  • Percentage of economic value that stays in country
  • Percentage of grievances resolved within 30 days
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