Social Recruitment Strategy

More than just miners, BHP is one of Australia’s most recognisable brands and one of the world’s most essential companies

– Strategy
– Digital Design
– Campaigns
– Copywriting

Challenge

In 2018, BHP began a project to build the world's largest iron ore mine. The new infrastructure at South Flank would be world-class. The mine was to be responsible for half of all WA's iron-ore exports. BHP's challenge was meeting staffing commitments while also meeting ambitious gender equality targets in a traditionally male-biased industry.

Solution

The solution was to reach out to new candidates, people with transferrable skills for whom a transfer to mining may not have been something they would have considered before. Fluid developed an audience segmentation and channel plan to drive audiences down the recruitment funnel. Then working with project partners; Fluid developed video scripts, digital advertising and social media posts that helped address any myths about the industry and encourage consideration of BHP's employment value proposition.

Outcome

BHP South Flank filled all the required roles to meet its construction and operation targets but more importantly achieved a 41% female workforce far exceeding the industry average of 13%. The significant work done in recruitment for South Flank has been widely recognised by BHP's executive leadership, shareholders, and industry observers as a benchmark success story in achieving gender parity.

South Flank, to the best of our knowledge, is the most gender-balanced large mine in Australia and also, likely, the world.

Erik Denison and Richard Pringle, Harvard Business Review

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