About one-third of mining execs think their industry will turn bumpy this year

Mining executives don’t see a lot of sunshine in 2012 and a full 20% have started laying off workers, according to a report by Business in Vancouver and the Mining Recruitment Group.

In a survey of 140 executives, only 8% of the respondents were bullish on the strength of the mining industry over the next six to 12 months. A full 38% were bearish, and the remainder were neutral.

In the long run, however, a full 82% were bullish. A small number, just 8%, were bearish.

Read coverage of the study here.