Highlights

• The United States is reviving its rare earth industry.
• Developing a comprehensive 'mine-to-magnet' supply chain with significant job growth potential.
• New investments and initiatives are emerging across:
  • Upstream mining
  • Midstream processing
  • Downstream magnet production
  • Recycling technologies
• Multiple companies, universities, and government programs are collaborating to train and develop a skilled workforce for the critical minerals sector.

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The United States is in the first inning of a rare earth revival. After decades of sending production overseas, the nation is working to rebuild a full “mine-to-magnet” supply chain. That means new mines, new refineries, new factories—and a surge in job opportunities. From geologists mapping ore bodies to engineers pressing magnets for electric vehicles, the demand for skilled people is soaring.

Rare Earth Exchanges™ has launched a new Supply Chain Talent and Strategy service, led by Justus Valciukas (opens in a new tab). Our recent report, Rare Earth Supply Chain Hiring Trends, shows that the reshoring of critical mineral capacity is as much about people as it is about resources.

Digging In: Upstream Mining

At the front end of the chain, hot jobs include mining engineers, geologists, metallurgists, and technicians—roles that handle exploration, blasting, and the first stage of processing.

MP Materials, operator of Mountain Pass in California—the only active U.S. rare earth mine—has been busy hiring everything from junior engineers to mill technicians. Even coal producers are pivoting: Ramaco Resources is recruiting executives to lead new critical minerals divisions.

Projects in Texas, Wyoming, and Montana are lining up, promising more opportunities. But there’s a snag: U.S. mining engineering graduates have fallen by nearly 40% since 2016. Companies also need environmental specialists and community liaisons to keep projects sustainable. The message is clear—America’s mining revival needs fresh talent at every level.

Cracking the Chemistry: Midstream Processing

Once ore comes out of the ground, it must be separated and refined. This midstream step is America’s biggest bottleneck, and chemical engineers, process engineers, and metallurgists are most in demand.

• MP Materials is expanding processing at Mountain Pass.
• Energy Fuels in Utah is refining rare earths from monazite sands.
• Lynas USA, with Pentagon support, has a Texas refinery plan—though the company has warned about construction uncertainty.

The problem? The U.S. has only a handful of trained specialists. China has thousands.

To close the gap, universities and agencies are stepping in:

• The University of Wyoming launched a Critical Minerals Leadership Academy.
• Concord University in West Virginia built a rare earth analysis lab.
• ReElement Technologies, a Purdue-linked startup, is partnering with Ivy Tech Community College to train workers for its Indiana facility, which aims to hire more than 300 people.

Building the Future: Downstream Magnets

Rare earths don’t power cars or turbines until they become magnets. This has long been America’s weakest link—but new plants are changing that.

• MP Materials is commissioning a Fort Worth, Texas, magnet factory targeting ~1,000 tons per year by 2026. A second DoD-backed “10X Facility” could raise total U.S. output toward 10,000 t/y by 2028.
• USA Rare Earth is preparing its Oklahoma plant for ~5,000 t/y capacity.
• Noveon Magnetics in Texas is hiring across machining, quality, and engineering.
• Vacuumschmelze (VAC) from Germany is building a $506 million magnet plant in South Carolina, creating 300 jobs.

Just a few years ago, the U.S. magnet industry was almost nonexistent. Today, companies are literally training a workforce from scratch.

Apple has committed $500 million to buy U.S.-made magnets and, in partnership with MP Materials, is funding training programs to build a new pool of American expertise. And in a major new development, Korea’s JS Link announced a $223 million magnet plant in Georgia, expected to create over 520 jobs with an annual capacity of 3,000 tons by 2027.

The New Frontier: Recycling

Another bright spot is rare earth recycling, or “urban mining.” Startups are racing to recover rare earths from old electronics, batteries, and magnets.

• Phoenix Tailings is expanding in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, hiring both Ph.D. scientists and plant operators.
• American Resources Corp. and its ReElement venture are building refining and recycling capabilities.
• REEcycle, HyProMag USA, and others are scaling magnet recovery operations.
• India-based Attero has signaled plans to expand into the U.S.

Demand is heavy for veteran metallurgists and young process engineers who can scale new methods, plus business development specialists to sell recycled materials into automaker and defense supply chains.

Training the Workforce

With all this growth, where will the workforce come from?

• Universities: Colorado School of Mines, Missouri S&T, and Penn State are seeing renewed interest in mining and metallurgy.
• Defense support: The Department of Defense awarded Montana Tech $6.5 million to create online mining and metallurgy certificates.
• Community colleges: Partnerships like ReElement–Ivy Tech are giving technicians direct pipelines into plants.
• Public-private partnerships: Apple, MP Materials, and Texas workforce programs are retraining oil and aerospace workers for magnet production.

Why It Matters

The rare earth supply chain resurgence is not just about mines and factories—it’s about people.

• Upstream: Engineers and geologists to find and extract resources.
• Midstream: Chemists and process experts to refine them.
• Downstream: Materials scientists, machinists, and magnet engineers to make the finished product.
• Recycling: Innovators who can close the loop sustainably.

For students, professionals, and career-changers, the timing is golden. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to get in on the ground floor of an industry powering everything from smartphones to fighter jets. The U.S. is rebuilding its rare earth supply chain—and it will succeed only if it rebuilds the talent pipeline too.

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