Diamond mines continue to deliver significant benefits to NWT

3 October 2018

The Northwest Territories’ diamond mines continue to provide significant socio-economic benefits in the areas of training, employment, and business. Socio-economic data, compiled by the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines (Chamber) from the mine’s annual socio-economic agreement reports, provides the following annual and cumulative highlights:

2017 Employment and Spending 

  • 3,450 person-years of employment, of which 1,585 (46%) are northern
  • 813 northern Indigenous employment (51% of northern workforce)
  • 509 (15%) of the total jobs are filled by women 
  • $1.2 billion in total spending, of which $834 million (68%) is northern spending and $325 million is northern Indigenous 
1996-2017 Cumulative Employment and Spending 
  • 57,915 person years of employment, of which 28,026 (48%) is northern
  • 13,924 northern Indigenous (50% of northern workforce)
  • $19.7 billion in total construction and operations spending, of which $13.7 billion (70%) is northern and $5.9 billion is northern Indigenous 
Trades Apprentices
  • In 2017, the mines supported 82 trades apprentices, of whom 64 are northern (78%)
  • Since 1996, a total of 217 individuals have achieved trades certifications at the diamond mines
“There is no doubt that mining is delivering unprecedented northern benefits,” said Chamber President Gary Vivian. “In addition to jobs, business spending and training, the diamond mines have also contributed billions of dollars in community contributions and in taxes and royalties paid to public and Indigenous governments. With continued progress on infrastructure investment, and regulatory and land access improvements, mining in the North is truly a sunrise industry. Our mining potential is huge.”
To learn more about the benefits the mines provide, please see their recent socio-economic reports here: For more information on the NWT and Nunavut mining industries, or on how the industry works, please visit the Chamber of Mines websites at www.miningnorth.com or www.miningnorthworks.com or contact Tom Hoefer, Executive Director at Tel: 867-873-5281 or email: executivedirector@miningnorth.com.