Job prospects Diamond Drill Operator - Surface Mining And Quarrying in British Columbia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "diamond drill operator - surface mining and quarrying" in British Columbia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in British Columbia

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be limited for Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction (NOC 73402) in British Columbia for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are several unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Employment opportunities will be supported by recent investments in this region.

The BC Golden Triangle, in the North Coast and Nechako regions, has major gold, silver, and copper deposits. Employment opportunities will be supported by recent investments in this region. In April 2024, Ascot Resources Ltd. opened the Premier Gold mine (near Stewart), the first gold mine to open in B.C. in seven years. Construction continues at Seabridge Gold’s KSM Project, also near Stewart. Equity Metals also discovered new mineral veins at its Silver Queen silver mine, located south of Smithers.

Within the North Coast region, south of the Golden Triangle, Rio Tinto operates the only aluminum smelter in B.C.  Their BC Works operation, in Kitimat, is made up of the smelter and the Kemano Powerhouse, a hydropower facility supplied by the Nechako reservoir.

The Northeast region has a number of steel-making coal mines. Conuma Resources operates three surface mines near Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd: Wolverine Mine, Brule Mine and Willow Creek. Conuma also announced plan to revive operations at the Quintette Mine, a steel-making coal mine located near Tumbler Ridge. South of Conuma Coal's Brule coal mine, Calgary-based CTI Plus Resources plans to develop a new metallurgical coal mine.

In the Cariboo region, the Gibraltar copper-molybdenum mine is the second largest open-pit copper mine in Canada. Taseko owns and operates the mine, which is the largest employer in the Cariboo region.  Artemis Gold's Blackwater Gold mine, located southwest of Prince George, is expected to pour its first gold by the end of 2024. The region also has two mines in development.  Osisko Development Corporation has also proposed a gold mine in the region, referred to as the Cariboo Gold project. Inomin Mines and Sumitomo Metal Mining are partnering to explore for nickel on Inomin’s Beaver-Lynx property, between Williams Lake and Quesnel.

The Kootenay region is home to one of two smelters in the province. Teck’s Trail Operations is one of the world’s largest fully integrated zinc and lead smelting and refining complexes. In nearby Nelson, Ximen Mining Corporation has plans to explore new areas of the former producing Kenville Gold Mine.

In the Thompson-Okanagan region near Kamloops, Highland Valley Copper produces both copper and molybdenum concentrates.

In the Lower Mainland-Southwest region, Nicola Mining and Talisker Resources signed an agreement in the spring of 2024 where Nicola mining could process gold ore for a fee from Talisker’s Bralorne mine.

On Vancouver Island, the Government of B.C. has placed a temporary ban on mining and mineral exploration activities on Banks Island and a part of Vancouver Island as it works out amendments for the Mineral Tenure Act to protect First Nations rights. The decision comes after a B.C. Supreme Court decision ordering changes to the Act.  Earlier in 2024, Myra Falls Mine Ltd. placed their Myra Falls mine near Campbell River, B.C. on indefinite care and maintenance, citing increased operating costs and depressed metal prices as the reason for the closure.

Here are some key facts about Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction in British Columbia:

• Approximately 700 people worked in this occupation in May 2021.
• Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Construction (NAICS 23): 61%
  • Support activities for mining, oil and gas (NAICS 213): 26%
  • Mining and quarrying (NAICS 212): 6%
• 47% of drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction work all year, while 53% work only part of the year, compared to 61% and 39% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 40 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction are self-employed compared to an average of 17% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: more than 95% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: less than 5% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 20% compared to 8% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 43% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 26% compared to 13% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 9% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: less than 5% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 12% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in British Columbia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

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