Is mining a high-tech industry?: Investigations into innovation and productivity advance

The fundamental nature of the mining industry with respect to innovation is often questioned. Is it the conservative, stodgy industry commonly depicted by its critics or is it instead a sophisticated, high-tech industry as championed by many of proponents? Using productivity statistics, it can be shown that the innovation rate of metal mining companies directly compares with the rates associated with general manufacturing. This relationship has held true for the last 50 years. A significant difference lies in the high-tech manufacturing sector, which for the last approximately dozen years has held productivity increases of 9.5% per year, in contrast to general manufacturing and metal mining rates of 2.5% and 2.3% per year, respectively.