Workforce profile of the natural resources sector

Older Workers in the Natural Resources Sector Table 2 shows the percentage of the workforce aged 45 plus and 55 plus within various workforce characteristics, as well as the distribution of the 55 plus workforce by the same characteristics. [...] Increases in the formal education level of the natural resources sector workforce is in part a function of changes in the education of overall labour supply – that is, higher levels are now attained by the Canadian population in general. [...] For example, while the total number of workers in the sector declined by 3% between 1997 and 2003, the number of workers in natural and applied science occupations increased by 15% over the same period. [...] Ensuring that today’s and tomorrow’s Aboriginal workforce are equipped with the necessary skills and education to fully participate in the labour force is a key challenge, especially for the natural resources sector, for which the Aboriginal population is and will likely be a significant source of labour recruitment. [...] The Aboriginal labour force is numerically largest in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, and proportionally largest in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, accounting for nearly one in ten labour force participants.