BHP Billiton has announced 380 jobs will be lost at its massive South Australian Olympic Dam mine, and experts say it is a sign of the times.

BHP announced this week that jobs including technicians, scientists, engineers and supervisors were on the chopping block, following on from the loss of 230 positions in South Australia earlier this year.

The Australian Workers Union (AWU) is meeting with BHP to discuss the cuts today.

The company blamed the cuts on challenging global conditions in the resources sector.

Independent research group CRU said it is emblematic of the situation at copper mines across the world.

Base metals analyst Paul Robinson says the strong US dollar combined with slow demand for copper means a surplus of material, and a corollary drop in prices.

He said major miners worldwide were making cuts in the sector.

“The miners are now focusing on how can they improve efficiency and how can they reduce costs ... at this stage they're not really looking at how they can reduce output at existing mines,” Mr Robinson said.

He said China’s big role in reducing prices should not be underestimated, given its demand should halve this year.

“Global copper consumption in 2014 ... China consumed 45 per cent of the world's copper ... so any small drop off in demand has an immediate impact on global prices,” Mr Robinson said.