Canadian jobs: It’s oil sands all the time

That compares with the national average that increased to 7.6% according to the latest stats and figures above 8% in Ontario and a whopping 13.5% in Newfoundland Labrador.

The Calgary Herald reports that oil sands development is having spin-off benefits across industries:

“So many companies are hiring. And they’re hiring like hundreds and some thousands over the next couple of years in all different areas. It’s not just technical. It’s not just en-gineering. It’s administrative. It’s everywhere. So this is a really good time to look for work. It’s a really good time if you’re not happy with your job. If you’re thinking of moving to something else, now is a good time to do it.”

The Edmonton Journal reports that power is returning to jobseekers:

“At between 4.5 per cent and five per cent unemployment, the balance of power isn’t really with either the employer or potential employee, it’s mostly neutral. This is a drastic improvement over this time last year, when the rate was near six per cent,” said Will van’t Veld, an economist at ATB Financial.

Outside the energy sector, the picture is also rosier.

According to the Mining Association of Canada’s 2011 annual stats publication released this week, the country’s mining sector in 2010 employed 308,000 workers in mineral extraction, smelting, fabrication and manufacturing.

An additional 3,215 companies supplied engineering, geotechnical, environmental, financial and other services to mining operations.

According to MAC, Canada’s mining industry plans to invest a further $139 billion in new projects nationwide over the next decade and will need to hire over 100,000 people over the next 10 years.

MINING.com reported on a Fraser Institute study in September that showed when adjusted for population, Calgary in Alberta is by far the Canadian leader in the concentration of corporate headquarters, with 6.0 corporate head offices per 100,000 people in 2010, double that of Toronto.

MINING.com reported earlier in September how Fort McMurray is grappling with oil sands expansion with the community’s population growing 80% since 2000. More than 32% of the district’s 104,338 residents are under the age of 25. The birth rate in the city has also soared – rising from 600 per year in 2005 to 1,200 in 2009 and 2010. As more people come to Fort for the work a growing oil sands sector will bring, the number of births will continue to rise.