A recent Ipsos Reid poll for Resource Works confirmed that 83% of British Columbia residents equate natural resources with opportunity. And they are right to do so. Check out the stunning diversity of good jobs that come from a healthy resource sector.
Here are some unassailable numbers on how resources create jobs. They are drawn from an economic study conducted for Resource Works.
Our economist looked at what would happen if the British Columbia resource sector boosted its output by 10 per cent - a realistic scenario since changes of this magnitude are quite common.
The result was stunning. We found that thousands of jobs were created for nurses, teachers, real estate agents, factory workers and much more. It turns out that the old stereotype that resource jobs are limited the the sawmill, gas plant, or mine shaft coiuld not be further from the truth.
This chart shows how many jobs were created in British Columbia because of this single factor:
And here's another way of looking at the same information, by percentage:
*Finance: includes insurance and real estate jobs.
See the full report here.