- Over the past five years, total employment in the natural resource sector - defined here as forestry and logging, mining, and oil and gas extraction - declined by about 7,000 workers (or 3%). However, this decrease in employment is not evident among all age groups. The number of workers under 45 years decreased by 10%, while the number of workers 45 year and over increased by 15% during this period.
- Thirty-six per cent of the workforce is currently 45 years and older, representing 93,000 workers. Within this group, 27,000 workers – 10% of the sector’s workforce – are aged 55 and older. Given a median retirement age for the sector of 60 years, the age distribution implies that a large contingent of these 27,000 workers will leave the labour force over the next five years.
- Aboriginal Canadians currently account for about 5% of the sector’s workforce, and are likely to be an increasingly important source of labour and skills, particularly in areas with high concentrations of Aboriginal people.
- The level of formal educational attainment among the natural resources workforce is increasing. Even over the relatively short time span of 1997 to 2003, the proportion of the workforce with a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree has increased from 48% to 53%.
This workforce profile of the natural resource sector provides an overview of current workforce demographics and lists a number of areas where action might be taken to address the critical human resource issues of retention recruitment and skills development. The profile draws upon two primary data sources, the 2003 Labour Force Survey and the 2001 Census of Canada.
