Final report - Integrated Land Management Bureau

2.1.3 Economy
Transportation Assessment of the Central & North Coast of BC
The economy of the transportation study area has historically depended on
resources, although this pattern has changed during the past decade with the
growth and diversification of the service sector, and decline in the coastal forest
industry. Between 2001 and 2006, the total number of jobs in the study area
declined from approximately 15,880 to 13,430, an outflow of about 2,450
workers. 11
Overall, the public sector − which includes school district, hospital and First
Nations, local, provincial, and federal government staff − accounted for
approximately 3,655 jobs, or 27% of employment in the transportation study area
in 2006. 12 The mining sector was in second place, generating 1,500 jobs (11% of
total), due largely to the inclusion of Kitimat in these estimates. Retail was the
third-largest sector, accounting for 1,300 jobs, or 9.8% of all employment in the
study area. Accommodation and food, and the transportation sector, each
accounted for 1,000 jobs or 7.5% of the labour force. And the logging & forest
products industry made up 885 jobs, or 6.6%.
The importance of the forest industry has declined. Census data shows that
logging accounted for 11% of all employment in 2001, declining to 6.6% in 2006.
The fishing industry is historically a major player in the Central and North Coast
economy, and although reduced in importance in recent years through smaller
salmon returns and license restructuring, it remains a significant force, accounting
for employment of approximately 1,135 in the transportation study area.
Mining continues to be a dominant employer in the transportation study area, due
to Alcan’s smelting operations in Kitimat. The number of workers employed in this
industry in 2006 (1,500) was approximately the same as in 2001. The prospects for
mining are good, with major new projects now in the planning phase, and this
sector is likely to grow in the years to come. 13
While the overall labour market shrank in the transportation study area between
2001 and 2006, the sector share of some industries grew during this time. One
example of this is the public sector on the Central Coast which grew from 40% of
all jobs in 2001 to 45% in 2006. On the North Coast, the number of jobs in
wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing, an outcome of Port of Prince
11
BC Statistics. Community Facts. Labour Force by Industry (NAICS). Taken from Census 2001 and 2006.
October 2008. The table includes results for Prince Rupert, Port Edward, Kitkatla, Hartley Bay, Metlakatla
and Area A of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District, Central Coast Regional District and Kitimat.
Some smaller communities are not included due to lack of data.
12
BC Statistics. Community Facts. Labour Force by Industry (NAICS). Taken from Census 2001 and 2006.
October 2008.
13
Note that the economic role of the minerals sector is much smaller in the LRMP Plan areas, which do not
include Kitimat.
Chisholm Consulting 9