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Number of employees
We have approximately 176,000 employees, including our own professionals and permanent third parties, spread across 18 countries. Vale has a responsibility to take care of these professionals, respect human rights, work to eliminate accidents, support the development of skills, promote an environment open to dialogue and offer decent remuneration compatible with the complexity of each job.
In all the countries where it operates, Vale follows local labor legislation and demands and monitors compliance with the hours worked, as established by the ILO (International Labor Organization), and expects the same from its partners. This commitment is formalized in our Human Rights Policy:
Human Rights Policy.
Workforce
Workforce by gender
People with disabilities
2021
5.3%
2022
5.4%
2023
5.3%
2024
5.5%
Workforce by country
| Country | Direct employees | Contractors |
|---|---|---|
Brazil
|
55,663
|
100,601
|
Canada
|
7,262
|
1,879
|
Indonesia
|
92
|
0
|
Malaysia
|
394
|
2.338 |
Oman
|
598
|
4,688
|
Other
|
601
|
Not informed
|
Total
|
64,610
|
109,506
|
By business unit
Number of employees
|
2024
|
2023
|
2022
|
Iron Ore Solutions
|
43,601
|
43,090
|
41,816
|
Energy Transition Metals
|
13,664
|
15,606
|
13,318
|
Corporate
|
7,345
|
8,111
|
9,382
|
Total
|
64,610
|
66,807
|
64,516
|
Turnover rate
| Year | |
|---|---|
2020
|
10,7%
|
2021
|
8.2%
|
2022
|
7.1%
|
2023
|
8.8%
|
2024
|
8.5%
|
Our Cultural Journey
Together, we are shaping the Vale we aspire to become.
We build our legacy daily with our partners, employees, customers, shareholders, and society. Guided by our purpose and bring our strategy to life through strong values and behaviors. We continuously evolve, placing people at the center of our decisions. Throughout our cultural journey, we prioritize safety, learn from our mistakes, and act with transparency and collaboration.
We believe that mining is essential for the development of the world. We only serve society when we generate prosperity for all and take care of the planet. That is why we exist: to improve life and transform the future. Together.
Since 2019, we have jointly embraced the commitment and urgency to transform our company. Our Cultural Journey is constantly evolving and is built by each one of us, day by day.
To live our purpose every day and achieve our ambition , it is essential that each of us lives the values and behaviors of Our Culture. They are the foundation of the culture we are building—a culture that reflects who we are.
During 2025, we co-created, with the entire organization, the evolution of our Cultural Narrative, an essential step toward the future we want to build. It is grounded in non-negotiable values that guide decisions, priorities, and the way we conduct our business: Life matters most; Act with integrity; Value the people who build our company; Results oriented; and Respect our planet and society. These values are brought to life through behaviors that define how we face challenges, carry out our activities, and relate to our stakeholders. They include: Obsession with safety and risk management; Act and lead with humbleness and respect; Deliver superior results through planning and discipline; Keep an external outlook with an entrepreneurial vision; and Foster dialogue with society.
It is through this culture that we enable our strategic challenges and commitments, ensuring alignment between purpose, decisions, and practices, and guiding our actions in an ethical, responsible, and sustainable manner.
In 2025, we also conducted a new cycle of the Engagement Survey. We achieved a new participation record: 83% of employees shared their perceptions on Culture, Leadership, Career, Well-being, and Belonging. Overall favorability reached 77%. The results point to opportunities for further development and reinforce our commitment to continuous improvement.
Vale’s ambitions:
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benchmark in safety;
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best-in-class reliable operator;
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talent-driven organization;
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leader in sustainable mining;
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benchmark in creating and sharing value.
To support these ambitions, we have established the following key behaviors:
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obsession with safety and risk management;
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open and transparent dialogue;
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empowerment with accountability;
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sense of ownership;
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active listening and engagement with society.
An integrated plan informs our initiatives to scope out our organizational culture and core beliefs, including leadership development programs and a review of our organizational processes and systems. Cultural elements have also been integrated into the Vale Production System (VPS). Key performance indicators are used to gauge progress in strategic areas and to monitor processes in the coming years.
In 2021, we introduced Ecos Pulse, a survey designed to assess employee perceptions of our cultural transformation, enhance engagement, and measure the impact of changes. In 2023, more than 38,000 employees responded to the survey, offering their views on culture, leadership, careers, well-being, and belonging.
Progress on our cultural transformation
- Aspiration defined
- Review of key behaviors
- Initial leadership awareness-raising
- Cultural assessment
- Vale narrative revised and Purpose defined
- Leader development as role models
- Start of system and process review (D&I, Cultural Integration, VPS, People Management, etc)
- Influencer network created
- Vale Narrative communicated
- Manager engagement around Culture
- Senior leadership engagement around Purpose
- First results from Ecos Pulse survey
- Front-line leader engagement
- Engagement strategy
- Digital inclusion of operations
- Culture scale-up across operations
- Vale 100
- Purpose permeating our strategy - Vale 100
- Culture supporting the Vale of the Future
- Expanded digital inclusion
- Organization-wide development initiatives
- Front-line leader experience
- Deep-dive into Operations
Diversity, equity and inclusion
We work to be an inclusive company which, through open and transparent dialog, promotes an environment of respect, psychological safety and equal opportunities for growth and development for all people. We believe that a plurality of talents is essential for building a more sustainable mining industry.
Since 2020, we have implemented structuring actions that are already showing significant results. The continuous evaluation of the progress made allows us to identify more precisely the challenges we still need to face. These learnings have deepened our understanding of what it means to be a truly inclusive company, driving the constant improvement of our initiatives. In 2022, we took an important step by launching affirmative actions that accelerate our journey towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive Vale.
Vale's Diversity and Inclusion Policy. defines six priorities (see table below), but the work is not limited to these dimensions, since the ultimate goal is to become a truly inclusive company. Professional qualification programs, career development and training focused on combating harassment, discrimination and prejudice were some of the actions developed for these priorities.
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Our priorities
Results:
- +9,000 women since December 2019
- We doubled women’s representation, increasing from 13% in 2019 to 28.2% in 2025
- Women in management and leadership positions: 27.5%
- Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) roles: 32.7%
- Women in operational positions (excluding administrative roles): 24.7%
- Women in senior leadership positions (starting from director level): 23.1%
- Women in top leadership positions (starting from general manager level): 25.3%
- Women in revenue-generating management positions: 25.6%
- Black professionals in leadership positions (from coordinator level, in Brazil): 45.1%
- 676 local operational professionals developed in our operational units, strengthening the local workforce, of which 87% were hired
- 124 thousand hours of training focused on diversity themes, Equity and Inclusion
Note: The 45.1% figure refers to the total leadership positions at Vale, according to the current job architecture. For the purposes of internal tracking of the racial diversity goal, Vale adopts a methodological approach that excludes the effects of nominal adjustments resulting from the job title review (Y career track) carried out in 2025, and considers exclusively the Brazilian scope of Iron Ore Solutions, resulting in 39.8%.
Our actions and the progress of our figures show that we are evolving, but we know that we still have gaps and a long way to go in promoting equity and effectively practicing inclusion. These are the main initiatives of recent years that have contributed to the evolution of our scenario:
- In 2019, we set ourselves the goal of doubling the representation of women in Vale's workforce - from 13% to 26%. We achieved this goal in 2024, a year ahead of schedule , demonstrating that it is entirely possible to attract and hire women for roles historically seen as male.
- We work with intentional selections to hire female engineers, analysts and managers, and we run a Professional Training Program (PFP) which in 2022 had more than 1,200 vacancies exclusively for women in operational areas;
- To stimulate debate and the exchange of ideas, we have affinity groups for women, ethnic-racial equality, people with disabilities and the LGBTQIAP affinity group+ ;
- Joining Mover - Movement for Racial Equity, a joint initiative with 46 other companies to promote opportunities for black people, reduce inequality and combat structural racism in the job market;
- Joining the Pact for the Promotion of Racial Equity, an initiative to implement a Racial ESG Protocol for Brazil, and launching the Racial Literacy Development Trail;
- Achievement of 5.54% of professionals with disabilities in the company, 350 benefiting from the Potencializando Talentos PcD Program, aimed at people with disabilities with the aim of empowering them in relation to their capacity and potential and awakening a new way of thinking and acting in the face of challenges;
- Global Trainee Program prioritizing the diversity of talent. The selection had 67% women and 71% who identified themselves as black or brown among the 113 trainees chosen in Brazil in 2022. In 2023, the program focused on local talent from the states of Pará and Maranhão, with 94% of the vacancies filled by professionals from these regions.
- Launch in 2022 of affirmative actions: Empowering Black Talents, Empowering Talents for Professionals with Disabilities, Career Acceleration for Black Women in society and the Impulsiona Program for black women in society in situations of social vulnerability;
- Intensification of actions to combat harassment, prejudice and discrimination, such as the website Assédio não, with information on the subject, reinforcement of the reception channel to assist employees who find themselves in a situation of sexual harassment or discrimination and the launch in 2022 of the training "Reagir - Combating sexual harassment in the workplace".
- Launch of the Develop PA/MA Program in 2022, with the aim of developing and attracting local talent in the states of Pará and Maranhão. This program has grown and solidified, and was repositioned as the Northern People Strategy in 2025. The main actions carried out in 2024 include: including Maranhão in the program; preferential vacancies for local talent in both states; mapping, development and performance acceleration programs and mentoring aimed at leadership; and strengthening the internal dashboard of local talent indicators so that leadership can see important information for managing and engaging this audience. In addition, this year we launched the "Stand Out" initiative, in person and online, with a focus on guidance on preparing CVs and tips for participating in selection processes for the community. In the initiative's first year, approximately 2,000 people took part.
Commitments and Targets
Women in the workforce:
- Cumulative result as of Dec/2025: 28.2%
Women in senior leadership:
- Cumulative result as of Dec/2025: 23.1%
Black leadership:
- Cumulative result as of Dec/2025: 45.1%
Vale's Archive
Greater transparency
Remuneration
Our compensation practices are supported by a structured governance framework, based on technical criteria, performance, and market alignment, with continuous monitoring of internal equity. Vale complies with the local minimum wage established by legislation and ensures that 100% of its employees receive a living wage, according to the most recent external assessment conducted by BSR.
This analysis measures the gap between the lowest compensation in each of Vale’s locations and the local living wage. It was conducted using the WageIndicator Foundation benchmark, aligned with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact agenda (Living Wage Movement – Ambition 2030).
With regard to gender-based compensation analysis, we use a comparison based on the annual average total compensation, including fixed, variable, and other comparable components, considering internationally recognized methodologies and national legislation.
The comparison between 2024 and 2025 showed the following results:
- (i) in senior leadership, the ratio of female to male compensation decreased from 94% to 89%;
- (ii) in middle management, stability was observed over the period, with the ratio remaining at 87%; and
- (iii) in staff positions, the ratio decreased from 103% to 101%. This group continues to show no significant differences, remaining the level with the highest gender balance and representing 88% of our workforce.
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Explanatory note
Paying a living wage means providing the means for an individual/family to acquire the goods and services necessary to achieve a basic and dignified standard of living (food, housing, education, transportation, leisure, culture, etc.) in line with the social and cultural expectations of the community and/or country where the individual is located.
Our remuneration practices also reflect the complexity and size of our operations, which require our managers to have in-depth knowledge of the business and the market commensurate with their responsibilities.
All Vale's direct employees are entitled to (i) fixed monthly compensation, as per positions, (ii) benefits and (iii) Profit Sharing (PLR), which consists of a goal scorecard aligned with the Company's strategic goals and paid in cash. In addition, employees in leadership positions are entitled to share-based remuneration through our Matching and PSU Programs: The Matching Program is a long-term variable compensation incentive, in the form of Restricted Shares, based on the expected performance of the Company reflected in its market value and share price, with a three-year term. It is offered from Supervisor level upwards, including members of the Executive Committee and Non-Statutory Officers, mandatory adhesion for the President and Executive Vice-Presidents of the Company. The PSU, on the other hand, is a long-term variable compensation plan, in the modality of Performance Shares, with duration cycles of 3 years, offered from the Senior Manager level, including the members of the Executive Committee and the Non-Statutory Officers. The award is linked to TSR relative to a pre-selected group of industry peers and absolute performance against ESG and ROIC metrics.
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Citizen Company
Vale is part of the Citizen Company Program and grants employees the right to extended paternity/maternity leave. For maternity leave, the extension is 60 calendar days, immediately after the end of the mandatory four-month leave, and for paternity leave it is 30 calendar days immediately after the end of the five-day leave.
Under paternity leave, through the Empresa Cidadã program, the total leave would be 20 days. However, in order to encourage responsible fatherhood and to include the father from the very first moments in the routine of caring for their child, while also contributing to gender equality, Vale, at its own discretion, established through a Collective Bargaining Agreement a total paternity leave period of 30 days.
It encourages responsible paternity by inserting the father into the routine of caring for his child from the very first moments and contributes to gender equality.
At the end of this page you'll find more information about leave in the countries where Vale operates.
In addition to the Citizen Company program, and in line with our commitment to valuing those who make our company an inclusive, diverse and gender-equal workplace, Vale has launched a new room dedicated to supporting breastfeeding employees. The room is equipped with a milk collection system in some locations in Brazil.
The space has been designed to be a welcoming environment for breastfeeding women, where they can collect and store their milk safely and properly while at work. This initiative aims to provide a supportive environment for mothers returning from maternity leave and to encourage continued breastfeeding up to the age of two, in accordance with United Nations guidelines.
Indigenous health care
Through an agreement signed with indigenous peoples, Vale offers a complementary service for indigenous health, providing elective, urgent and emergency care and dentistry through its accredited network. The ethnic groups included in the agreement can request the service through a focal point for care on demand.
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Learning and development
At Vale, we believe that continuous learning is a competitive differentiator and one of the pillars of our transformation. We promote people's development based on the exchange of experiences, practice and openness to the new - always aligned with the behaviors expected in our Production System, the VPS.
Our learning ecosystem, Valer, integrates internal and external partners, educational agents and digital platforms to support the growth of our employees and generate shared value with society. The solutions are designed based on our business strategy and adapted to the technical, behavioral and functional needs of different audiences.
Valer's work is segmented into five profiles: all employees, future employees, operational technicians, specialists and leaders. For each, we offer journeys that go beyond the classroom, promoting the practical application of knowledge and preparing the workforce for present and future challenges.
At Vale, we are evolving the way we develop people. We aim to offer high-quality technical training and promote social development to transform the realities of the communities where we operate.
In addition to pursuing improvements in the management and execution discipline of technical training—while maintaining our commitment to operations—we are also advancing to support projects in line with Vale’s growth challenges.
On this journey of evolution, the Integrated Technical Operational Journeys and Entry Programs have been consolidating as strategic pillars for the technical and behavioral development of our professionals.
The integrated journeys promote robust training aligned with real business needs, covering everything from technical and safety content to behavioral competencies. They are structured into Qualification for the Role and Qualification for Practice, also including the revalidation of initial training. The initiative aims not only to reduce accidents but also to help Vale achieve excellence in safety and operational performance across the company.
Through integrated learning paths, the program ensures comprehensive training aligned with business needs, encompassing both technical and safety content as well as behavioral competencies. Its goal is not only to reduce accidents but also to support Vale in reaching excellence in safety and operational performance company-wide.
The integrated journeys unify learning processes aimed at the technical-operational workforce, with key objectives that include: improving management and closing learning gaps, establishing a unified vision of technical training, and ensuring that employees perform their roles safely.
To implement this across the entire technical-operational workforce, a prioritization strategy was defined based on safety events, covering the following job groups: Mechanics, Operators, Vulcanizers, Electricians, and Welders. Over the past three years, around 15,000 employees have participated, totaling more than 100,000 training instances—an average of approximately seven courses per employee.
Engineering Trainee programs, undergraduate and technical internships, and entry programs—namely the Professional Training Program (PFP) and the Young Apprentice Program (PJA)—also stand out as Vale’s main entry pathways. Their objective is to offer professional learning opportunities for young people in the regions where the company operates, contributing to personal growth, strengthening Vale’s talent pipeline, and enabling qualified entry into the job market.
The PFP aims to develop technical talent for operational roles, directly contributing to the sustainability of operations and strengthening a culture of safety and excellence. Its main objectives include: developing skilled labor, promoting social inclusion and diversity, and strengthening the company’s reputation within communities by generating real opportunities for employment, income, and professional development.
The Young Apprentice Program (PJA), in turn, acts as a strategic front for the productive inclusion of young people, with meaningful social and transformative impact. Developed in partnership with local governments, educational institutions, and social organizations, the program reinforces a commitment to equity and sustainable development through initiatives such as prioritizing opportunities for women and youth in vulnerable situations.
Over the past three years, more than 5,000 young people have participated in these entry programs, significantly expanding Vale’s social impact in local communities, with a strong focus on diversity and employability.
Leadership is a central vector of Vale's cultural transformation. That's why we invest in the continuous development of leaders capable of driving results with consistency, example and innovation - reinforcing the VPS principles of excellence and continuous improvement.
The training courses are structured according to the level of responsibility and impact of each leader. Our model, the Vale Way of Leading, guides development based on four pillars:
- Valuing people
- Acting with innovation
- Leading by example
- Execute with excellence
These pillars guide behaviors that strengthen teams, inspire people and sustain the evolution of our businesses.
The Performance Evaluation is one of the stages of the People Development Cycle, which takes place annually and maps out the employee's development journey, incorporating the development conversations and feedback that take place continuously throughout the year. The assessment takes into account the deliveries made and how the key behaviors were practiced.
The employee's individual deliveries are based on the individual goals defined together with the leader. They must be aligned with the strategic objectives of the business/area, directed by collective and specific goals; projects, initiatives and process improvements.
The process is recorded in a system, ensuring transparency and traceability. It is important to note that collegiate evaluation of employees is recommended, in accordance with the area's strategy. For leaders and more senior employees, evaluations are submitted to a committee on a mandatory basis, which analyzes and discusses performance, and makes collective decisions. This process reinforces the company's commitment to meritocracy and the continuous development of its employees.
Vale’s succession planning is a process of identifying, planning, and developing talents to fill leadership positions in the future. Developing successors who are capable and prepared to grow, develop, and learn from experiences strengthens our leadership pipeline and brings us closer to our ambition of leading value generation in mining, ethically and sustainably, and being among the top three mining companies by market value.
To this end, in 2019 we established the Global Talent Review to identify and develop successors not only for Executive Board positions but also for critical global leadership roles that have a high impact on creating or enabling value, thereby reinforcing our ambition. Through this process, we map talent readiness to develop and prepare them to potentially assume more complex positions in the short, medium, and long term.
By 2025, 100% of our critical positions had at least one mapped successor, and 75% had successors for the short, medium, and long term. In addition, diversity and inclusion aspects are also considered: among the 107 critical positions mapped, 76% had at least one woman as a successor and 76% had at least one non-white successor, ensuring a diverse leadership pipeline.
The People and Compensation Committee monitors succession planning for senior leadership in recurring meetings, with reporting to the Board of Directors.
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Attracting talent
The theme of Attracting Talent is one of the fundamental pillars of Vale's commitment to the development of the communities in which it operates, particularly in the regions of Pará and Maranhão. In 2024, for the second time in a row, the Trainee Program was designed and implemented with a focus on developing local professionals in these regions, in line with Vale's ambition to promote the growth of communities in the territories where it operates.
Also throughout 2025, Vale structured an attractiveness plan that includes various affirmative disclosure actions, the development of market intelligence and proactive mapping of regional talent, with the aim of increasing the visibility and hiring of local professionals for the opportunities generated by the business. Based on this attractiveness plan, there were more than 9,000 vacancies filled by people of medium, technical and higher levels, from 25 states and different cities in Brazil.
As part of this movement, we believe that internal opportunities enable the development and growth of our employees. In 2025, more than 1,500 vacancies were filled with internal candidates and, of these, more than 600 had the opportunity to take up their first leadership position, reinforcing our commitment to becoming a talent-oriented company.
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In the Young Apprentice Program, we had 1,513 young people (60% in technical courses) and a 22% hiring rate after completion, with biopsychosocial support and a focus on including youth in vulnerable situations.
The Trainee Program, aimed at developing talent from Pará and Maranhão, had 48% female participants and 77% self-declared Black individuals. It was recognized with the Ser Humano Award (ABRH-PA) and the 8+ Highlight in People Management (CBTD 2025).
We also created the Engineering Trainee Program, which received 28,000 applications for 25 positions, with 68% of those selected being women. The program includes approximately 50 experiences, such as mentoring, job rotation, English acceleration, and scientific immersion, to develop professionals for Port and Railway operations in MA, PA, ES, and MG.
The Internship Program brought together more than 1,500 participants in 2025, an increase of approximately 25% compared to 2024, with a 16% hiring rate.
The Job Market Preparation Program trained 138 people in short-duration courses, such as Boilermaker and Warehouse Clerk (in Pará and Rio de Janeiro).
Non-wage benefits for employees
The benefits policy practiced by Vale and its subsidiaries is aligned with the strategy of attracting and retaining talent, considering issues related to location, competitiveness with market practices and local legislation.
Our benefits packages are geared towards the health, well-being, safety and quality of life of employees and their dependents.
Learn about the breakdown by pillar:
Relations with trade unions
Vale maintains good relations with trade unions in all the countries where it operates and seeks to resolve conflicts through regular meetings with representatives of these associations. Collective bargaining is a permanent practice, based on dialogue with the unions and training for the company's leaders on labor relations issues.
Freedom of association is respected, and we base our actions on Vale's Code of Conduct, local labor legislation, the eight Fundamental Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the guidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). When the local legislation of a country where we are present restricts this right, we maintain contact with equivalent workers' organizations.
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We haven't had any strikes by our own employees in Brazil since 1990. The number of conflicts between the company and the unions has decreased in recent years. The number of employees voluntarily affiliated to unions has increased: in Brazil, 100% of employees are covered by collective bargaining involving 12 unions, and more than 15,000 are voluntarily affiliated to the unions that represent them. In all the countries where Vale operates, 95% of Vale's own employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements.
Since 2005, employees have directly elected a member of the Board of Directors and their respective alternate.
Vale's labor relations representatives, at different levels, meet weekly with union representatives to discuss routine issues and strengthen social dialogue.
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Legal working hours in the countries where Vale operates:
EXPLANATORY NOTE
May reach up to 48 hours per week under an hour bank system.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
May exceed this number if the three-week average does not exceed 48 hours.
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