N.W.T. Labour Market Information Resource Module 2: Labour Market Overview

While informative, a focus on GDP can be misleading from a labour market assessment perspective. Mining, for example, is a high-technology industry, whose share of employment is considerably less than its contribution to real GDP. In terms of total employment, the services-producing sectors provided, on average, 84 per cent of jobs in the territory from 2015 to 2019.

This module reviews key characteristics of the current territorial labour force, using data that have become available since our previous Labour Market Information Resource. It profiles demographic forces, occupational structure, and skill levels by key factors, such as gender and group identity.

An important facet of the territory’s demographic profile is the age distribution of its Indigenous and non-Indigenous subpopulations—with the former being considerably younger than the latter.

Compared to the overall Canadian population, the N.W.T. has a higher proportion of its employed workforce in skilled occupations (skill level A and skill level B). However, our analysis also gathers evidence of skills gaps and labour market segmentation between different social groups in the Northwest Territories.