HR management
Building a professional and balanced team
Creating a talent pool
Staff training and development
Enhancing our incentive system
Implementing our social policy
Improving productivity and efficiency
HR management responsibilities are allocated among Nornickel’s various governance bodies and business units in line with their terms of reference.
GRI 2‑9, 2‑12, 2‑13
In HR management, Nornickel adheres to international and national regulations and standards, as well as its by‑laws.
Staff composition
GRI 2‑7/SASB EM‑MM‑000.B
In 2023, Nornickel retained leadership in key rankings of the best employers according to HeadHunter, RBC, Forbes, Future Today, and other expert communities
Nornickel is committed to recruiting and developing the best talent.
The headcountIncluding salaried employees and external part-timers. of the Group’s Russian operations as at the year‑end stood at 82,100 employees, with most of them working full time (99%) and under permanent employment contracts (>94%).
As at the end of 2023, there were 1,013 employees working under civil contracts.
Locally hired employees GRI 202-2
The majority of the Group’s personnel is concentrated in the Norilsk Industrial District (67%) where most of the Group’s production assets are located.
Nornickel takes the responsibility for its impact on the labour markets in the regions where it operates. In hiring personnel, we assess all candidates based on their work experience, qualifications, and education.
More than one third of our employees (39.7%) have higher education qualifications. Most of them are executives. 22.9% of employees have secondary education qualifications, 22.9% – secondary vocational education qualifications, and 14.4% – basic vocational education qualifications. The share of employees with undergraduate higher education is below 1%.
In 2023, the headcount of the Group’s foreign operations was flat y‑o‑y and included: 322 employees in Europe, 47 in South Africa, 22 in Asia, and five in the USA.
GRI 405‑1
GRI 405‑1
GRI 401‑1
Blue‑collar employees account for the largest part of the workforce (61.3%) due to the nature of the Group’s operations. The share of men in the overall headcount in 2019–2023 remained stable at 70–71% due to the harsh working conditions in the climate of the Far North. Female employees prevail in the category of white‑collar employees (52–53% in the reviewed historical period).
In 2023, Nornickel utilised shift‑camp work arrangement, permanent and temporary jobs, and staff transfers within the Group to bolster its recruitment efforts. The Company hired 1,919 people for shift‑camp work.
To engage prospective employees from different regions, we launched a recruitment centre in Irkutsk, with the existing centres in Orsk, Ufa, and Norilsk delivering over 14,000 interviews – a 31% increase from 2022. Nornickel's HR Support Centre also commenced operations in Norilsk to directly meet with job seekers and employees. This expansion provided varied application avenues: the corporate website, recruitment centres, a 24/7 call centre, and social media. In total, Nornickel received some 69,000 CVs in 2023.
The reporting year saw the introduction of Orbit, an automated recruitment system, which now keeps an applicant pool of over 270,000 CVs, synced with both internal HR systems and external job portals.
Promotion was also in focus, with over 4,000 employees ascending to superior roles within the Group. The re‑hiring programme engaged 880 returners, drawing interest from over 3,300 former employees for Nornickel’s vacancies.
GRI 401‑1
Employee turnoverThe ratio of resignations, dismissals for breach of labour discipline, and negotiated terminations, to the average headcount for the year. as at the end of 2023 came in at 11.4%. Voluntary turnoverThe ratio of all resignations to the average headcount for the year. remained stable at 7–8% during 2019–2020. However, in 2021, the figure peaked at 10.5% as a result of the closure and reconfiguration of smelting and metallurgical operations on the Kola Peninsula. By 2022, it had slipped to 9.2%, and in 2023, it was slightly higher at 9.9%. Under the Sustainable Social Development Strategy, the Company aims to reduce turnover to 8% by 2026. This goal will be pursued through fostering employee professional growth, and the recruitment of young and seasoned professionals.
The Company prioritised staff training at the inception of the Sulphur Programme, necessitating recruitment of over 500 individuals for the sulphuric acid production and neutralisation shop. By year‑end 2023, 418 people were hired, including 64 managers and white collars and 354 blue‑collars workers.
In addition to traditional roles like maintenance technicians and electricians, new positions emerged, such as operators of neutralisation and oxidation equipment. Specialised training was created by Omsk Polytechnic College, combining self‑directed theoretical studies with hands‑on experience at the Omsky Kauchuk plant.
Seasoned mentors at Nornickel’s three Norilsk Division locations – Copper, Nadezhda Plants, and the Talnakh Concentrator – trained personnel for Nadezhda Plant’s new facility.
Recruitment spans beyond Norilsk, drawing on both Polar Division’s domestic talent and professionals from other regions, such as Vladikavkaz, Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk Region, Trans‑Baikal and Krasnoyarsk territories.
Nornickel stands as a steadfast and dependable employer. The Company offers a workspace that is both comfortable and accommodating, guaranteeing fair pay, varied suite of social programmes and benefits, along with ample opportunities for career advancement and personal growth. These elements collectively serve as key motivators for most of the Company’s workforce.
Maxim Ovchinnikov,
head of road transport, GRK Bystrinskoye
(length of service with the Company — 27 years)
Commitment to employee rights
Nornickel respects employee rights and fully takes them into account in its operations.
1
Equal opportunities to unlock professional potential
2
Performance assessment on a fair and impartial basis
3
Employment and promotion based solely on professional abilities, knowledge, and skills
4
Development of and social support to employees, including upholding rights to social security, education, family welfare, shelter, freedom of artistic expression, and participation in cultural life
5
Recruitment of people with disabilities and ensuring all the necessary working conditions, including work and rest schedule, annual and additional paid leaves, and financial aidEmployment quotas for employees with disabilities account for 2% of the average headcount, excluding employees involved in harsh, hazardous and/or dangerous work, depending on the region and company size.
6
Respect for internal labour regulations, which are approved in consultation with the trade union organisation, and employees’ working hours
7
Ban on child labour in any form, including the involvement of minors under 18 in hazardous and/or dangerous work
8
Ban on employment of women in harsh and dangerous working conditions in the mining industryOpen communications with employees give them an opportunity to be heard, contribute to Nornickel's progress, and drive improvements. In addition to the Corporate Trust Line, the Group continued to run offices that address production, social, and labour concerns, ensuring swift and effective problem resolution.
