Canadian Mining Industry Employment and Hiring Forecasts - MiHR

The NOC-S system 4 was developed by Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
to provide standardized descriptions of the work that Canadians perform in the labour market. NOC-S codes organize
labour-force participants according to the nature of work they perform, thereby enabling similar occupations to be
grouped. NOC-S codes are specific to Canada. Together, the NAICS and NOC-S systems provide a means for grouping
statistics to obtain estimates of employment and workforce demographics using Statistics Canada data sources.
There is no single NAICS code, however, that directly corresponds to all phases of the mining cycle (which includes
exploration, development, extraction, processing and reclamation). Similarly, there is no single set of NOC-S categories
that pertain to only mining. People employed in occupation groups that are prevalent in mining also work in a variety
of other industries. A complete list of the NOC-S codes used to define the occupations in mining appears in Appendix B.
To provide the best possible estimate of the industry, MiHR has defined the sector according to the following NAICS
codes, thereby providing the best correspondence between the industry’s main primary and processing activities as
defined by Natural Resources Canada. 5 The NAICS codes that define the mining industry include:
• NAICS 212: Mining and Quarrying (except Oil and Gas). This subsector comprises establishments primarily engaged
in mining, beneficiating or otherwise preparing metallic and non-metallic minerals, including coal.
• NAICS 213: Support Activities for Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction. This subsector comprises establishments
primarily engaged in providing support services, on a contract or fee basis, required for the mining and quarrying of
minerals and for the extraction of oil and gas. Establishments engaged in the exploration for minerals, other than
oil or gas, are included. 6
• NAICS 3311: Iron and Steel Mills and Ferro-Alloy Manufacturing. This industry group comprises establishments
primarily engaged in smelting iron ore and steel scrap to produce pig iron in molten or solid form.
• NAICS 3313: Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing. This industry group comprises establishments
primarily engaged in extracting alumina.
• NAICS 3314: Non-Ferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing. This industry group comprises
establishments primarily engaged in smelting, refining, rolling, drawing, extruding and alloying non-ferrous metal
(except aluminum).
Economic Overview
The mining industry experienced strong economic growth for almost a decade leading up to the sharp decline in the fall
of 2008. However, rebound from the recession is already underway in the sector, largely due to the impacts of non-metal
commodities and demand for resources from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) nations.
4 The definitions for the NOC-S (2006) system can be found at:
www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/standard-norme/soc-cnp/2006/noc2006-cnp2006-menu-eng.htm
5 Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Minerals Yearbook, 2008.
6 Note that MiHR’s definition of the mining industry does not include oil and gas extraction or the activities related to oil sands extraction. However,
data included in NAICS 213 is not available for the mining industry in isolation and does include some support services activities for oil and gas and
the oil sands.
10 Mining Industry Workforce Information Network