A new report from the Mining Association of Canada declares that Canada’s mining sector and related industries, witnessed an increase of 11,000 new mining-related jobs in Canada in 2012. The report mentioned that in 2011, the sector had about 407,000 jobs, which increased to 418,000 in 2012.
Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, highlighted the roles played by the Canadian mining industry, as a major driver of economic growth and as a major employer. He mentioned that the mining industry is also the top paying industrial sector in the country, in addition to being the largest private sector employer of Aboriginal people on a proportional basis. Moreover, he added that the mining industry also supported thousands of indirect jobs.
The report easily corroborated Gratton’s words. It revealed that employees in Canada’s mining sector have the highest wages and salaries among all the industrial sectors in the country, with an average weekly pay of $1,559.
Further, government data showed that Canada’s mining sector contributed $52.6 billion to the national GDP in 2012. The data also revealed that mining industry exports contributed to 20.4 percent of the Canadian total (worth $92.5 billion).
According to government data, Canada’s mineral production remained high at $46.9 billion while its mineral exploration and deposit appraisal expenditures equalled the mark set in 2011 at $3.9 billion. Additionally, it stated that over 3,200 companies supplied goods and services to mining operations.
The report also mentioned that companies in the mining sector would need to hire about 145,000 people over the coming decade to replace retirees and to fill new positions that emerge during this period.
Gratton felt that Canada’s ability to attract the highly mobile global mining investment rested on the commodity prices prescribed by the global market, in addition to a number of other internal factors. He believed that by working in conjunction with each other, the mining industry and the Canadian government would be able to address key domestic challenges, support new mining growth and ensure that the country remained an attractive place for mining or listing.
Source: Northern Life