The continued growth of Canada’s mining industry is creating new jobs and bumping up wages, according to a new report conducted and released by the Mining Association of Canada.
From 2011 to 2012, over 11,000 jobs were created in the mining industry, and forecasters predict more job growth in the coming years. In 2012, approximately 418,000 workers comprised Canada’s mining sector alone.
“This remarkable employment figure is a much more accurate view of the Canadian mining industry’s role as both a major employer and economic driver in Canada,” said Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada.
The report also noted that workers in Canada’s mining sectors earn higher wages than workers in any other industrial sector, bringing home an average weekly salary of $1,559.
Canada’s mining industry is responsible for about one-fifth of the country’s GDP. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, spurring growth in supporting industries such as exporting and supplying.
Experts predict that even more workers will be needed – an estimated 145,000 over the next decade – as the mining industry continues its advancement while trying to offset the effects of retiring baby-boomer workers and stagnant population growth.
Source: Sudbury Northern Life