Given the economic momentum of the mining sector, the discovery of natural resources – most notably that of gold – is expected to revolutionize the economy, especially in developing nations. The current study sought to establish whether artisanal and small-scale mining, human resource management, and government policies influence sustainable livelihoods of employees within the mining sector. A cross-sectional survey of 377 employees was conducted among managerial employees from artisanal small-scale mining organisations. The results show that both government policies as well as artisanal and small-scale mining performance positively influence sustainable livelihood for mining workers. Similarly, human resource management moderates the relationship between sustainable livelihoods of employees within the mining sector and the performance of artisanal and small-scale mining. When developing plans for the sustainable livelihoods of employees, management should prioritise improving human resource management practices, including compensation, career development, training, wage and incentive aspects of employment and employee welfare. This study narrows the knowledge gap in the extant literature on business management through expanding literature on the moderating effect of human resource management on the relationship between artisanal and small-scale mining performance and sustainable livelihoods.

This study narrows the knowledge gap in the extant literature on business management: it expands the literature on the moderating effect of human resource management on the relationship between artisanal and small-scale mining performance and sustainable livelihoods.