Heads chopped as miners cut costs THE glory days of the resources sector are well and truly over and the pain is being felt at the top, with the rate of unemployed white-collar workers in the industry said to be more than double the broader unemployment rate. Staff cuts have been the main tool used to drive costs lower in a downturn that has a serious bite. While mass layoffs at mine sites are widely known, the number of executives looking for new work isn't as obvious.